


The Scarlet Wolf

by Alexis_Tenshi



Series: A/B/O Werewolf Triads [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alpha Leonard Snart, Alpha Oliver Queen, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Mick Rory, Beta Sara Lance, Canon-Typical Violence, Double Penetration, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Omega Barry Allen, Omega Felicity Smoak, Omega Verse, Spanking, Threesome - F/F/M, Threesome - M/M/M, Werewolves, no metahumans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-11-13 15:06:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11187660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexis_Tenshi/pseuds/Alexis_Tenshi
Summary: Wolves were most content in a triad relationship. The balance between Alpha, Beta, and Omega created mutual happiness for the mated three. Alpha Leonard and his Beta Mick longed for a compatible Omega to join them. But with their reputation, none would give them a real chance. They were trying to resign themselves to a life without a third. Until they met a certain playful wolf with scarlet fur.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [The Scarlet Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231898) by [kotokoshka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotokoshka/pseuds/kotokoshka), [MaryNevskaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryNevskaya/pseuds/MaryNevskaya)



> Based on the following prompt. Slight **spoilers** at the link: https://legendsofsuperflarrowmemes.tumblr.com/post/160633162022/coldflashwave-len-is-an-alpha-and-mick-is-his 
> 
>   _Thanks to whoever submitted the original prompt. I realized a bit late into writing it that I was changing the details more than I had originally intended. Hopefully you still enjoy it! I'm really enjoying writing it!_
> 
>  -Barry isn’t a speedster here. I didn’t tag this ‘no powers’ because I think being a werewolf is a power, lol. But this au just has wolves and humans, no metahumans.
> 
> -Content warnings: Len, as a wolf, kills a hunter. It is a bit bloody and could possibly be considered graphic, but it’s a short sequence. 
> 
>  
> 
>  -I made the above banner mainly to show how they all look in wolf form. I’m betting you can guess who is who even before starting the fic. But to make it clear, Mick is a black wolf, with red eyes. Len is grey, with blue eyes. And Barry is the scarlet wolf with green eyes. (They’re not all realistic wolf eye colors. But they’re werewolves, not regular wolves.)

Leonard leaped over a log covered in vines and moss, easily clearing the obstacle. He ran at nearly full tilt on his four furry legs over the grassy rises and falls of the land. He ran between the many trees, chasing his mate. He’d given Mick a head start, as he always did. Len was the faster of the two, while Mick was bigger, bulkier.

Regardless of size, Len, the Alpha, would always be the more dominant of the two wolves; the leader, the one that set the pace and made the rules. Even when he was the one pursuing his Beta mate in a playful game of chase in the dense forest surrounding Central City Park.

Len chose how closely he followed Mick. If he got close enough, Mick would speed up, or twist in another direction. If he fell back, Mick would slow down, or swing around back toward him. It was a running rhythm formed from being mates for many years. They both knew each other so well; they didn’t need to speak to predict how the chase would go. Not that they _could_ speak, in their wolf forms, of course.

Len relied on his sense of smell and his knowledge of his mate much more than his eyes, during the chase game. His sense of smell was much keener in wolf form, and out in the forest there were less man-made scents to distract and confuse it. But also, Mick’s fur was mostly black. He easily hid in the shadows at night, like it was now. Len’s own fur, a mix of grey, white, and blue-black, stood out much more easily. At least until it snowed.

Len missed the snow. But it was far off. It was early summer in Central City, where they called home. Len wouldn’t have moved for the world. He loved it there. But he wouldn’t have minded if winters lasted another month or two, either. At least the nights were still cool, at the moment. Before long it would be too hot and muggy to do these runs at this speed, even at night.

Len would blame distraction, later, for what happened. Distraction born of boredom. He loved chasing Mick. But they’d done it countless times, and they both knew the area like the back of their hands…or paws, as the case may be at the moment. So Len hadn’t been paying much attention to their game. He ran, and he expected Mick to run away in turn. That was the basic dynamic of the chase game, after all.

So Len was entirely unprepared for Mick to stop suddenly and stand there dead still in the middle of the chase. Len ran right into his mate’s black furry butt. Len reared back and righted himself. He growled and snapped at Mick. Mick just whined, not even looking at Len.

Len followed Mick’s gaze and finally saw what’d brought his mate up short. A wolf. Another wolf was there, just a short distance away, and watching them. He was obviously a werewolf. All werewolves had a preternatural look about them that distinguished them from normal wolves. He had reddish brown fur and striking green eyes. Len didn’t recognize him. He would have remembered if he’d seen a wolf that gorgeous before.

Len’s growling increased. Strangers weren’t strictly forbidden in their territory, but most wolves were wise enough to stay away unless invited. Len and Mick had a violent reputation. Some of it earned fairly, some of it exaggerated. But it kept most of their kind from approaching the area unannounced.

Len continued to growl, ignoring Mick’s whines. Len slowly stalked forward a few steps, his fangs bared and his muscles tense. He wouldn’t attack an unknown wolf unprovoked. But he was an Alpha. This was his territory. Mick was his mate. He had to show this stranger he was dominant and unafraid of them.

Then the wind shifted and Len caught the unknown wolf’s scent, as Mick must have before Len caught up. Len’s growl abruptly, instinctively stopped. _Omega_. Omega! _Unclaimed_ Omega! The unknown wolf was an unclaimed Omega!

An Alpha would _never_ attack an Omega, unless there was something wrong with them. Something wrong with the Alpha, that their instincts to protect and support an Omega were somehow absent. Or something wrong with the Omega, that their instincts to submit and please an Alpha were absent. Betas were the balance between the two, as Mick was demonstrating by remaining unmoving and whining softly at the situation.

If the Omega had been there with an Alpha, it would have been different. Len could have switched his dominant posturing toward the Alpha. That the Omega smelled unclaimed, meaning he had no Alpha mate, just upped Len’s protective instincts tenfold. What was an unclaimed Omega doing in the woods alone at night?! Woods that were known to be the territory of other wolves, no less!

Len briefly considered changing to his human form just so he could scold this Omega. But the transformation took a lot of energy. It was best to just shift forms once a night, unless it couldn’t be helped. And they were in the middle of the forest.

They’d stashed the bags with their clothes miles back. It would be no problem for Len and Mick to loop back there as wolves, change, and get dressed before morning. It would be a big problem if Len transformed to human, then didn’t have the strength left to change back to wolf, and was left naked in the middle of the forest.

So Len growled again. He was not at all happy with the situation. But it was a grumpy growl, not a threatening one. He knew both Mick and the Omega would be able to tell the difference.

Mick stopped whining and sat down on his haunches. He tilted his head in clear curiosity at the Omega.

The Omega opened his mouth, tongue lolling out, in a wolf’s version of a smile. He then bent down on his front paws, rump in the air, tail wagging; the classic ‘play with me!!’ bow.

Len and Mick just stared at him.

The Omega jumped up, ran away a few paces, then circled back around. Len and Mick made no move to follow.

The Omega whined, play bowed again, and ran away again.

Len and Mick looked at each other.

Omegas didn’t want to _play_ with them! It was just…it was just too unbelievable to be true!

Len and Mick had a reputation. They’d had it for quite awhile. Some of it had been earned fairly. Some of it had been exaggerated. They were seen as big bad wolves that no wolf with a brain messed with. New wolves in town were always warned off of them by the other local wolves, told to stay away from their park and their forest.

Len and Mick allowed the reputation, they allowed the warnings. It kept them safe. It kept their territory free of challenges and threats. But it also kept them alone.

They were criminals, but they had a code. They were violent, ruthless when necessary. But they never killed without good reason. They never hurt the innocent. They’d never hurt an Omega unless they had absolutely no other choice.

The two of them had always longed for an Omega mate to join them as their third. That was the way wolves were happiest; as a balanced triad of Alpha, Beta, and Omega mates. For years, Len and Mick had searched for their Omega. But they’d never found one compatible with them. Eventually, as their reputation grew, no Omega would come near them.

It was unfair, and it hurt them. But they’d never force themselves onto a scared Omega, even just to try and get them to know them better. They resigned themselves to never finding their third, never getting an Omega, never feeling complete. They had each other, at least. They tried to be content with that. All Omegas they’d encountered had been scared of them for years.

Until now. Until this young Omega with striking scarlet fur and glittering green eyes. He’d just shown up in their forest and acted like he expected them to play with him. As if they weren’t scary at all.

The Omega was whining and bowing at them again, bouncing on his front paws impatiently.

Len didn’t know what to do. He exchanged another look with Mick. The obvious answer was to accept the Omega’s offer and chase him, play with him. Of course they wanted to. Len knew they did.

But both Len and Mick kept hesitating to do that. They were too used to Omegas being scared of them. What if they chased this one, and he became scared too? What if, once they were play chasing him, he panicked and forgot it was a game? What if they noticed too late and hurt him? They didn’t know him. They didn’t want to risk truly frightening him.

While Len considered, the Omega’s whines increased. Len noticed the moment those whines turned from playful pleading to include a note of actual sadness. Len’s ears twitched at the switch and his protective instincts kicked at him with a new realization.

The Omega had to be able to smell that Len and Mick didn’t have an Omega. For an Alpha and Beta pair, without an Omega, to outright refuse to play with an unclaimed Omega at all…it was a terrible insult to the Omega. At the least, they ought to chase him for a bit, test their compatibility that way. To do less would be like rejecting him with a slap in the face.

Len mentally cursed himself for forgetting his wolf manners so utterly. But it’d been so long since an Omega had approached them. He kept thinking it had to be some kind of mistake. But mistake or not, this wasn’t an offer they could refuse without hurting this Omega. That was the last thing Len wanted to do. He knew Mick felt the same.

So Len made the decision. Len play bowed back toward the Omega, accepting the offer. Mick did the same, following Len’s lead. The Omega yipped once in happiness, ran around in a little excited circle, and then was off at a sprint. Len chased him, Mick following. Len could only hope they were doing the right thing.

\-------------------------------------

It ended up being the best night they’d had in years. The Omega never showed a hint of fear, and he never slowed down. He was fast, very fast, and so _so_ fun to chase! Len caught him, a few times.

The first time he just ran next to him for a moment before the Omega veered off and started the chase in another direction. By the third time, Len felt confident enough to playfully snap at the Omega’s haunches. His teeth just snapped in the air, of course. He’d never dream of actually play nipping the Omega’s body until they knew him better.

Len wanted to jump on the Omega, playfully wrestle him to the ground. Then Mick could catch up and the three of them could roll around together in the grass. He wanted to smell the Omega up close and rub his own scent into the scarlet wolf. He wanted to smell how their three scents would mingle together; see if they matched, if they were compatible that way.

But he forced himself not to. It was far too soon for that. He didn’t want to ruin it. He wouldn’t risk scaring the Omega. But Len _wanted_ …Len wanted so much. He knew Mick well enough to know Mick did too.

Soon, far too soon, the signs of morning approaching started in the forest. It was time to head back, they needed to be changed and clothed before risking any early joggers in the park catching sight of them. Some humans knew about werewolves, some didn’t. But it was never wise showing themselves to an unknown human, regardless.

They parted ways then, an unspoken agreement going through them that it was time. Len and Mick went one way. The scarlet Omega went another. Len’s heart hurt to see the Omega go. He knew there was little chance he’d stashed his clothes anywhere near where Mick and Len had put theirs. Of course the Omega needed to leave the way he’d come. But Len wanted nothing more than to keep that Omega with them.

Len wanted to see what the Omega looked like as a human. Len wanted to bundle the Omega up against the morning chill in the jacket Len had stashed for himself. He wanted to wrap the Omega in his scent. He wanted to take the Omega home. He wanted Mick to cook for them, fill the Omega up with warm savory foods. Then he wanted that Omega in their bed, safe and snug between Len and Mick.

Len wanted that Omega for theirs. He knew Mick did too. They wanted too much. No Omega knew who they were and wanted to give them a chance. They didn’t even know the Omega’s name. Soon, he’d meet other local wolves and they’d warn him away from Len and Mick. They would probably never see him again.

Len howled into the night, putting all his loneliness and longing behind the sound. Mick joined him a second later, in perfect harmony.

From some distance away, the Omega answered with a howl of his own. It matched and synched perfectly, effortlessly, with Len and Mick’s.

Maybe…maybe Len would let himself hope again, just a little.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard’s hope paid off, sort of. They met the Omega wolf again, and again.

Len and Mick didn’t go run in the park every night. When they did, the Omega wolf wasn’t always there. But sometimes they did, and he was. When he was, he always greeted them with an eager yip and a play bow. They didn’t hesitate to chase him anymore.

Over the next month, Len and Mick met the reddish Omega wolf a few times each week. Len and Mick took to calling him Scarlet because of his fur coloring. At least, to each other they did. To the Omega, they still spoke not at all. Therein lay the problem. They still hadn’t met him as humans. They still didn’t know his name.

Despite that, their play became more and more friendly the more times they met. Scarlet never showed a hint of fear of them, no matter how mock aggressive they let their play become. Len playfully nipped Scarlet’s rump after a successful chase, Scarlet gently nipped Len back. Scarlet circled around the both of them to come up behind Mick and allow the Beta to ‘catch’ him.

Once Scarlet realized being caught could include Len and Mick jumping on him and wrestling him to the ground, he allowed himself to be caught a lot more often. He playfully growled at them when they sometimes tried to make the chase last longer and didn’t jump on him fast enough. Of course they were always careful to not take him down too hard. They never wanted to injure him, even minorly. On the ground together, rolling in the dirt, their fur flying; it was so apparent that their scents mingled perfectly, blending together wonderfully.

Everything seemed to be going so well. Every aspect of their play pointed to a very high level of compatibility between all three of them. Everything seemed to be pointing toward mutual, three-way interest.

But yet they couldn’t manage to get Scarlet to come along for the next step. It didn’t have to be a trip to Len and Mick’s home, as much as they’d have liked that. It could have been a coffee shop or pancake house. Wolves were always hungry after that much spirited play. Anywhere really, just so the three of them could talk as humans and get to know each other better.

They had tried, it wasn’t like they hadn’t. The most recent few times they’d met, Len had tried to direct Scarlet to come with them in the morning. They’d brought extra clothes for him and stashed them with theirs. Len had done everything he could without turning human to speak, or outright grabbing the Omega by the scruff of his neck with his teeth and demanding he submit to Len’s lead.

Len would never do that to him. He would never force Scarlet to submit to him, no matter how much his instincts screamed at him to. The Omega _choosing_ to submit to him; that was what Len longed for. That was the only kind of relationship Len wanted; one of mutual choice.

He still couldn’t turn human around Scarlet either. They still always met in the middle of the forest, and being human that far from the park was still the same problem it’d been the first time.

Every time they met, Scarlet acted the same; playful, trusting, eager. He seemed completely happy to be with them. Until it was morning. He ignored their gestures to come with them every time. Every time running off in the opposite direction they’d come from. Almost like he purposely _chose_ to leave in the complete opposite direction that Len and Mick were leaving.

Len considered trying to find where Scarlet normally stashed his clothes. If Len and Mick went during the day and systematically sniffed everywhere one might enter the forest from the park, they ought to be able to find Scarlet’s lingering scent. Then they could wait there to meet him before he changed. Or they could track him down by following the trail from there to wherever he spent his days.

Len almost decided to do it. Mick would follow his lead, either way. But in the end Len couldn’t bring himself to. It was too much of an invasion of privacy. If Scarlet didn’t want them to meet as human, then they wouldn’t. It was his choice.

Len wouldn’t force him if he wasn’t ready. Even if Len didn’t understand _why_ Scarlet wasn’t ready. Scarlet had to know what Len and Mick had been trying to suggest. Scarlet hadn’t come with them because he hadn’t _wanted_ to.

If Len had a clue about _why_ , if it were something he could fix, something he could do differently, he’d do it in a heartbeat. He’d told Mick as much and Mick had echoed the sentiment. But there was nothing that either of them could think of. Nothing else they could do as wolves to signal their interest and mutual respect.

Len could only hope by giving the Omega more time, eventually Scarlet would feel comfortable enough with them to decide to follow them out of the forest. If he didn’t, or if he disappeared, if he stopped meeting them…Len didn’t want to think about that. Not until he was forced to.

\------------------------------------------

It had been a nearly a week since Scarlet had last joined them in the forest. Len and Mick missed him. Neither wanted to admit they were worried, too. But they both knew they were.

The chase game wasn’t the same without him. Nothing was the same without him. They didn’t want to admit how attached they’d become to the Omega in such a short time, and without ever actually talking to him. It remained unspoken between Len and Mick. But both knew they’d fallen hard for Scarlet.

If they never saw him again…they’d survive, Len knew they would. But it would be hard. Possibly the hardest thing the two of them had ever been through, and they’d been through a lot together. But to find an Omega that seemed to fit so perfectly with them…then to have him disappear without so much as a hint of an explanation. It would shake even the most stable Alpha and Beta pair.

The time of Scarlet’s absence dragged to over a week, then two weeks. Len and Mick were depressed. When they were both depressed at the same time, their relationship became a struggle. Neither was particularly good at talking about their feelings without a lot of prodding from the other. With both of them in a sour mood, neither would take that role. They both became grumpy and moody, likely to snap and growl at each other over every little thing.

They got in these moods from time to time, it was nothing new. But every time, it made their lack of an Omega mate even more painful. If they had an Omega, the sensitive and expressive wolf would have drawn them both out; got them talking. An Omega mate always had a talent for knowing how to lift up their mates. An Omega rarely, if ever, had a problem talking about their feelings. This openness inspired the other mates to open up as well. An Alpha and a Beta seeing their Omega hurting from their fighting would motivate them to admit their mistakes and make amends, more quickly than anything else.

But now, rather than being in bad moods over anything else, Len and Mick were upset because of Scarlet’s absence. That just made the hurt much, much worse. They couldn’t blame the Omega. They had no idea why he’d disappeared. They didn’t know if he was hurt, or in trouble, or had just decided he was no longer interested in them. So they blamed themselves.

They didn’t know what they’d done wrong, to scare Scarlet away. But it must have been something. No other Omega had ever wanted to stay with them. Why should Scarlet be any different?

To imagine Scarlet was truly in trouble was so painful that both were trying to push any thought of that aside. That they could have let something bad happen to an Omega they cared about…and had no way to try and track him down and help…it was just unforgivable. His scent had long ago faded from anywhere near the park. They had no idea what his name was, or even what he looked like as a human. They had no hope of finding him.

Len and Mick had come close to trading punches with each other that day. What they had been arguing about meant nothing. It was just a cover for their real feelings. That the two of them were at the point of almost trading blows meant a lot. Both of them knew why they were really so upset. But neither of them could talk about Scarlet without making it worse.

What could they say? It had been nearly a month by then and the Omega hadn’t reappeared. They’d been rejected. There was nothing else to it. Talking about it wouldn’t make it better. Nothing they said could bring Scarlet back to them.

Len was considering taking a trip away from Central…without Mick. Len hated being separated from his Beta, but sometimes it was for the best. Sometimes, without an Omega to balance them, the two needed time apart. They’d always come back together, sooner or later.

Len had been talking to his sister Lisa and gotten an invitation to visit her in Opal City. They rarely saw each other lately. They didn’t have much in common anymore, besides both being Alphas. She’d chosen to leave Central and her criminal life behind, while Len clung to both. But they were family and they loved each other. Len was proud of her and happy for her. She’d survived their hellish upbringing and thrived.

Their father had been the worst example of a wolf gone wrong there could be; abusive and manipulative toward the very family he ought to have loved. He’d driven away every wolf he’d tried to bond with, eventually. He tried sleeping with humans and fared no better. He was abusive, plain and simple; to practically everyone he came in close contact with.

He’d been a Beta left with two Alpha children and that’d just made it worse. He was threatened by Leonard and Lisa, so he lashed out at them time and time again. He blamed them for each and every one of his own shortcoming, and punished them physically for it. Eventually, Leonard had killed him. He wished he’d done it sooner.

Lisa had been asking Len to visit for awhile, actually. She’d found an Omega for herself named Cisco, and the two of them had moved out of Central together looking for their Beta. Len liked Cisco. He was sweet and clearly enamored with Lisa, but also sassy in a way that worked well for an Omega. He complimented Lisa well.

Apparently there were two Betas they were currently considering for their third. A smart ass scientist named Hartley, and a bounty hunter that went by Gypsy. Lisa wanted Len to meet them and get his opinion. But she also understood how that would make Len feel; to see wolves so close to being a happy complete triad, when Len and Mick were still painfully far from having an Omega.

So she’d understood when Len declined all her invitations. Now though, with how tense things were between him and Mick, maybe it would be for the best. He could just visit for a week or two, give them both time to cool down. Though with this hurt, Len wasn’t sure that would be enough.

Len tried talking to Mick about whether he should go or not. Mick responded with grunts and ‘do whatever you want’. So Len decided to go.

First though, the two of them were going on one more run in their forest that night. Mick hadn’t wanted to, but Len insisted. He didn’t believe Scarlet would be there. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave without checking just one more time first.


	3. Chapter 3

Leonard heard the gun shot and immediately, instinctively dropped to the ground and froze, even as he heard Mick’s loud yelp of pain. Len smelled his mate’s blood, and his mind was overcome with violent desire to spill blood in return. No one dared to hurt Leonard’s mate and lived.

They had both been in their wolf forms, running through the forest. It hadn’t been a chase game. They were both too depressed for that. But the run would do them good, regardless, Len had thought. Mick hadn’t wanted to go. If Len had let him refuse, he wouldn’t be shot and on the ground bleeding now.

But there was no time for regrets now. There was no time to go to his mate and make sure he was alright. No time to lick Mick’s wounds and promise to never think of leaving him again, even just for a day, because Len couldn’t stand to lose him. No matter how much Len wanted to.

Leonard had a shooter to kill. If he didn’t, both the wolves might soon be dead.

Hunting was forbidden in these woods by human law. But even if a human wanted to be an idiot and ignore that, there were plenty of deer around for them to bring down. There was no reason to be shooting at a wolf that shouldn’t even exist in these woods.

There had been one shot. Mick had been hit. There had been no shots since. There had been no movement since. No hunter moving toward where Mick had went down. That couldn’t be an accident or a coincidence. The hunter was there for them, Len rationalized. And they knew Len was out there. They were waiting to sight him, to finish the job.

Well they never would. Leonard was smart, and patient. Len knew how to hunt. Len knew how to hunt humans. They were a particularly stupid type of prey. Sometimes that made them more dangerous. Sometimes it made them easier to kill.

Len’s ears had told him where the shot had come from. He slunk around on the ground, staying low and keeping to where the foliage was high. Out of sight. He moved quickly, but cautiously. Before long he was behind the shooter.

It was a man in camouflage hunting clothes. From his scent, Len had never met him before. It made no difference. He was going to die.

The shooter was lying on the ground on his belly, hunting rifle in his arms, looking through the scope. No doubt searching for Len. He wouldn’t live to find him.

Len didn’t hesitate. He pounced from his crouched position in one fluid motion, landing square on the man’s back. He might look like an ordinary wolf to uninformed humans. But as a werewolf, Leonard was larger and stronger than normal wolves. The hunter didn’t stand a chance. Len didn’t give him one.

Leonard wrapped his strong jaw around the man’s throat and he bit down hard, sinking his sharp teeth in the jugular. He tasted hot blood on his tongue, filling up his mouth. In the way of wolves, he shook his prey. In the way of werewolves, his strength was such that the man’s head was soon no longer attached to his body, the neck coming apart in bloody tattered shreds. Blood gushed out onto the grass.

The man was dead, as Len had promised. Swift and efficient. It was the best way to kill a threat.

Len spit in disgust, throwing the man’s decapitated head away from the body.

Len ran a short distance away to cover and dropped to the ground again. He waited. His kept his ears up and nose open.

He wanted nothing more than to run back to Mick. But if there was another hunter…if they both got shot…it would all be for nothing.

So Len waited. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. But he waited.

He listened, he watched, and he sniffed. For long, painful, anxious minutes, he stayed there and waited. Eventually, Len was satisfied enough that there were no more hunters, no more new danger.

He moved quickly toward Mick then, but not recklessly. If he’d missed something, if someone else was around waiting, he still needed to be cautious.

Leonard caught his scent before he saw him. As if Len wasn’t enough of a tightly controlled emotional wreck already with worry about Mick, this sent his heart into overdrive. It also soothed it in a way nothing else could.

Len broke into the clearing then and saw them; his Mick, and his Scarlet. Never mind that Scarlet wasn’t his yet. He was _there_. The Omega was there next to Mick, lying pressed against the Beta and licking Mick’s wound.

Len hurried toward them, nosing them both in turn, inspecting them by touch and smell with his wolf nose. Scarlet seemed to be perfectly unharmed, thankfully. Mick wasn’t so lucky, as Len had already known.

Leonard was so relieved, and yet so scared, at the same time. The best thing for an injured wolf was to be tended to by a caring Omega. Scarlet had kept Mick calm, had comforted him. He hadn’t been alone and in pain. But as much as Scarlet’s licks would help, they were no miracle cure.

Mick was hurt, badly. He’d lost a lot of blood. He’d been shot in the thigh and the bullet was lodged there. Len could smell it. Worse yet, as Len sniffed the wound, he smelled silver. Len growled softly. Both Mick and Scarlet whined in response; Mick in pain, Scarlet in sympathy.

Len’s mind raced. He had two options; either remain a wolf or change back to a human. As a human, he could rip strips of cloth from the clothes of the hunter he’d killed, and bind Mick’s wounds. But that was the most use he’d be. He wasn’t strong enough in human form to carry Mick all the way back to the park entrance where their clothes and car were.

Mick’s wound was already closing thanks to the fast healing that all werewolves had, helped by the Omega’s licks. Binding the wound would help, but not much. What really needed to happen was for the silver bullet to come out. But there was no chance of that out here.

As a wolf, Len could run back to their car and get the first aid kit they had there. He could maybe find a stretcher or something he could use to pull Mick on. But that would take time and mean leaving Mick and Scarlet unprotected in the woods. It would possibly mean Len had to change back and forth from wolf to human several times in the process; both time consuming and exhausting physically.

Len didn’t hear or smell any other hunters. But that didn’t mean there weren’t any. Once the one he’d killed didn’t check in, they could come looking. Mick couldn’t put up much of a fight in his condition. Scarlet might be able to, if he had to. All wolves could fight by instinct to some extent. But it wouldn’t be in his nature as an Omega. He wouldn’t have any experience like Len and Mick did. The two of them would be no match for more hunters. Len couldn’t leave them.

Decision made, Len softly growled and whimpered at Mick. The Alpha needed his Beta to get up. So the Beta obeyed; generations of ingrained instincts letting him know Len’s order, and giving him the desire to obey his Alpha no matter the pain. Mick rose on three shaky legs, holding up the hind one that’d taken the bullet in the thigh.

A wave of guilt washed over Len, but he pushed it aside. It wouldn’t help him now. He could apologize to Mick for this later, for the rest of their lives if necessary. For now, he needed to get his mate out of this forest.

Len pressed as close to his Beta as he could, taking as much of the bigger wolf’s weight as he could. Scarlet got the idea quickly and pressed into Mick from the other side, supporting him as much as he was able, too. Mick limped slowly, but he moved. Len and Scarlet moved with him, keeping him upright and steady.

It was long painful walk. But they made it together; the three of them. Len doubted they would have, if it’d been just two. If he hadn’t already been completely gone on Scarlet, Leonard was now. The Omega never left Mick’s side as they walked, licking Mick’s ear or nose every so often in support. It did as much to keep the Beta moving as did the support of their bodies on his sides.

Finally they reached the tree where Len and Mick had stashed their clothes. Len changed to human, and then quickly threw on his pants, not bothering with any other clothes or shoes. He wouldn’t have bothered with any at all, but he didn’t need any attention from humans for being naked on the side of the road. He ran to their nearby car and grabbed the first aid kit from the trunk.

He was back next to Mick in less than a minute. The Beta had collapsed on the ground, still in wolf form, unmoving. He was breathing, but it was shallow.

The Omega was nowhere to be seen.

Len crouched down next to his mate and began tending to him as quickly as he could.

There was no sign of a struggle. There were no scents of anyone there besides the three of them. There had been no noises of distress. Len had been close enough he would have heard. Scarlet was just gone again. He had just left them again.

It hurt, deeply, but Len pushed it aside like all his other feelings for the time being. Tending to Mick was all that mattered now. With or without the Omega’s help, Len had to save his Mick.


	4. Chapter 4

Len had bound the wound. He’d gotten Mick in the car. He’d driven them to a safe house of theirs in an old warehouse. It was closer than their actual home.

Len had considered going to a hospital, but that was doubly difficult. First, finding one that knew about and treated werewolves. Second, finding one that wouldn’t report Len and Mick as the wanted criminals they were. The first was doable. The second, not so much.

Len would do it, if he had to. He’d get them both sent to prison to save Mick’s life. Of course he would. But only as a last resort.

They could escape from prison. They’d done it before. But a wolf injured by silver took a long time to heal completely. Time they wouldn’t give Mick, with his record, before they moved him to the prison. The prison where other wolves would try and take advantage of an injured Beta. Wolves that would try and kill Mick, while Mick was too hurt to fight back with his full strength. While Len might not always be able to be close enough to protect him.

They had to avoid that scenario, if they could. So the hospital was a last resort. So Len got them to their safe house and put Mick in a bed inside. Mick was whining and panting, but at least he was breathing. Len managed to get him to drink some water from a bowl.

Len would have to get the bullet out himself. That would be hard. He knew how to do it, in theory. But in practice he’d never done anything like it before.

Len got together the equipment he’d need from what they had at the safe house and steeled himself to do it. Then the light on the wall began flashing. The alarm they had set on the doorway was going off, silently. Someone was trying to enter the building.

Leonard swore and grabbed a gun from the ones stashed around the warehouse. He went out the back and circled around to the front door. There were two people standing there, a man and a woman. He had the gun trained on them within seconds and growled as he advanced on them. He was beyond saying anything. He just growled.

They both turned toward him, jumped, saw the gun and put their hands up. Len had a brief second to register that they both looked young and nonthreatening, and then their scents hit him.

Leonard lowered the gun instantly.

“Scarlet?”

The young Omega whimpered. It sounded exactly the same in human form as wolf form. His mouth was open, his lower lip shaking. He seemed to be trying to say something, but couldn’t manage to get it out.

Len took a second to scan Scarlet’s human form, taking in the lean body, thick brown hair, and familiar green eyes. He wore simple jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. He was gorgeous, and adorable, and Len wanted to hug him.

He didn’t have _time_ for this, damn it! Len swore at himself. He needed to get back to Mick. The longer the bullet stayed in his leg, the more silver would seep into his blood stream.

“You _left_ us! _Again_!” Len snapped.

Scarlet flinched like he’d been slapped. He looked like he might cry. Len mentally cursed at himself again.

He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh. But he was scared and hurting and confused, in more ways than one. He’d come out there ready to either shoot or scare off whoever was there. There was no way he’d ever shoot Scarlet. Len would never even point a gun at him again, now that he knew it was him. But he had no idea what he was actually supposed to do. Why was the Omega here now, after he’d left them again?

“Whoa, ok, take a sec, take a breath!” The woman spoke.

Leonard had forgotten she was there. She was blonde, with glasses, and in a very unpractical tight dress and heels. She was also an Omega. A claimed one, with a powerful Alpha mate, from the smell of it. But she was an Omega, and apparently Scarlet’s friend. Len would never threaten her either.

“Barry came to get us. That was why he left you. He came to get us for help. We tracked you here.” The blonde Omega explained, “My triad, we’re friends with him. My Beta has medical training. She’d like to help, if you can let her tend to your Beta.”

Barry…Scarlet’s name was _Barry_. Len filed that away mentally, and then shoved it aside.

The blonde Omega was smart, clearly. She’d spoken calmly and plainly. She’d asked Len if he _could_ let her Beta tend to his Mick. She understood how difficult it was for an Alpha to allow an unknown wolf near their mate, especially when their mate was hurt. Her Beta and her Alpha were far enough away at the moment that Len didn’t feel threatened or challenged by them. But doubtlessly close enough that they could be there within minutes if she needed them.

Len wasn’t going to attack two Omegas just for surprising him in his territory. If an Alpha or a Beta had been with them, though…that might be different, as wired as Len was. All this had clearly been done by design, to get Len to listen to her.

Leonard respected her. But could he _trust_ her?

“Please.” Scarlet whimpered. “Please, let her help! Mick can’t…Mick can’t….Mick _has_ to be alright!”

Leonard looked at Scarlet… _Barry_ , he reminded himself. The Omega was clearly distraught. Len _wanted_ to trust him, so badly. But even if going to get help from this triad was his reason for leaving them that night, he had left them _many_ times. And he’d been gone for weeks. He knew Mick’s name, despite never having actually talked to them before this. So there was more to Scarlet than Len knew.

But…if Leonard could ask Mick…if he asked Mick if he should put Mick’s life in Scarlet’s hands…Mick would say yes, without hesitation.

“Alright.” Len agreed. “But just you, the Omega, and her Beta. Her Alpha stays outside.”

Scarlet inhaled deeply in relief.

“Yes, of course. We understand. It’s your territory.” The blonde Omega smiled and nodded. “I’m Felicity, by the way. My Beta is Sara. She’ll be here in a minute, alone. Our Alpha is Oliver, and he will be _happy_ to stay outside. It would have been totally reasonable for you to tell him to stay a mile away.”

So this Oliver could hear them then, clearly. Probably via open comms they were wearing. Len smiled slightly. Oliver might be alright, if Felicity was any indication. Not all Omegas could get away with telling their Alpha what to do like that. Only the ones with a truly good relationship. But that didn’t mean Len was comfortable inviting him closer yet.

If this worked, if this Sara helped his Mick, Len would owe this triad a great deal. He would decide how he felt about that later. For now, all that mattered was Mick getting better.

\----------------------------------

Sara brought her own medical supplies and gave off an air of confidence. She was blonde, like Felicity, but slightly shorter and more muscular. She also wore more practical clothes.

Though Len supposed he had no place to judge. He had yet to put on a shirt or shoes since he transformed. It just hadn’t seemed important in the rush of everything that’d happened. Now though, as Sara got to work on Mick, Len finished getting dressed. He put the gun away.

Scarlet kept staring at Len, but not saying anything. Len wanted to comfort him, reassure him that everything would be alright. But Len was too much of a mess himself for that, at the moment. The Omega still confused him, with Scarlet’s repeat disappearing acts. And Len couldn’t focus on anything really besides Mick being in pain.

Len’s emotions kept shifting from angry, to worried, to guilty, back to angry and around again. With nothing for Len to _do_ , for the moment, he couldn’t keep shoving his feelings down far enough to not notice them.

Len paced while Sara worked. He stayed close enough to his mate to see what was happening, but not so close as to make Sara nervous from an Alpha hovering. Not that she seemed likely to get nervous. But the pacing kept Len from snapping at any of the unfamiliar wolves there in his territory, while his mate was injured and Len felt vulnerable.

Scarlet and Felicity had taken seats on one of the couches that were set up in the one large room of the warehouse. The bed that Len had put Mick on was there too. It was set up that way so that Len could get a good view of everything going on. There were no smaller rooms there set up for privacy, and that was by design. Len and Mick used it when they had a crew they needed to keep their eyes on.

Felicity had pulled out a tablet from her bag and was typing away at something. Scarlet shifted from staring at his own clenched hands to watching Len pace, then back down at his hands when he realized Len noticed.

Len again wished he could help Scarlet calm down. But if he even attempted that in this state, Len’s wolf instincts would take over and he would end up grabbing Scarlet by his neck and dragging him face first into Len’s lap. Then force him to lay there while Len pet his hair.

Close firm contact based on their wolf dynamics like that would reassure both an Alpha and their Omega. But Len and Scarlet weren’t bonded. Len couldn’t be sure Scarlet wanted that from him. And in Len’s current state, he didn’t know if he had enough control to back down if Scarlet resisted him. So Len kept his distance and kept pacing, no matter how much his instincts screamed at him to go to Scarlet.

What seemed like ages later, though Len knew it had barely been a half hour, Sara was done.

“I think he’ll be alright without a hospital. I got the bullet out and stitched him up. With wolf healing, he shouldn’t need a blood transfusion. But don’t let him transform for a few days at least. The change would reopen the wound if it’s not given time to heal first. With the silver in his blood stream, it’ll be a few weeks; maybe a full month before his strength is back to normal.

“But if he seems to worsen, gets a fever, or doesn’t wake up in a few hours, then the hospital might be unavoidable.”

Len nodded, gritting his teeth at the prospect, but knowing she was right.

“To that end,” Felicity spoke up before Len could grit out a thank you. “I just finished erasing all traces of the criminal records of Mick Rory and Leonard Snart. So if you need to take him to the hospital, it should be as safe as it can be for any wolf.”

“You…you _what_?!” Len sputtered, completely shocked.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you have some sort of emotional attachment to being a wanted felon?” Felicity blinked at him with a smirk.

“No, of course not! But…what?! _Why_?! You…you barely _know_ us! Why would you _do_ that, without even being asked?!” Len tried to get himself together, but his head was spinning.

“I _was_ asked.” Felicity countered. “Barry asked me. And I was happy to do it for him. I trust his judgment of you both.”

That was it. Leonard was done. He sat down on a nearby chair, hard. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to think anymore, about anything. He felt so out of his depth, in his own territory, with these unknown wolves that somehow knew so much about him and his mate, and…

“Hey, hey, have you eaten or drank anything since you got here?”

The Beta…Sara…was asking him. She was smart enough to not touch him or come too close. She seemed strong, but you don’t startle an unfamiliar Alpha. It was just common wolf sense.

“No.” Len had to admit, begrudgingly, not looking up.

“So you probably haven’t even had a drop of water since heading into the forest hours ago.” Sara sighed, and added not unkindly, “Idiot. Too worried about everyone else to take care of yourself. Typical Alpha.”

She was right, of course. Len didn’t argue. They had a stash of non-perishable food and drinks there at the warehouse. He’d get up and get something. In a minute. Once his head spun less.

Then Scarlet was next to him, gently touching his arm, and offering him a half full Gatorade bottle. Len just looked at him a moment. Scarlet was the only one in the room that could’ve approached Len in this state and not get shoved off violently.

The Omega pressed the drink into Len’s hand. Len took it and drank, instantly knowing it had been Scarlet’s. The taste of him was still on the bottle, unmistakable thanks to all the times Len had licked Scarlet as wolves.

Scarlet was crouching in front of Leonard, almost kneeling at the Alpha’s feet. The Omega’s hand was on Len’s knee. Len’s willpower was strong, but not that strong.

Without consciously deciding to do it, Len’s hand was in Scarlet’s hair and running fingers through the thick brown strands. Scarlet sighed, actually did kneel, and laid his head on Len’s thigh. All the tension in Len’s body immediately melted away.

“Well, that took long enough.” Felicity snorted. “Since you’re set for now, and clearly need to relax without unfamiliar wolves around, Sara and I are going to head back to Oliver. Hopefully before our Alpha has worked himself into a similar shut down from worrying.”

“You…you’re just going to leave Scarlet here?” Len’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You want me to leave?”

Scarlet whimpered, starting to move. Len tightened his hold in Scarlet’s hair, stopping him.

“Of course not!” Len snapped.

“We’re his friends.” Felicity explained. “Not his Alpha. He doesn’t have an Alpha. If he wants to stay, that’s up to him. Though I’m assuming he does, cause, you know, I _do_ know him.”

Felicity and Sara exchanged a knowing look, like _Len_ was the one being ridiculous. Like Scarlet hadn’t left them every morning, every other time they’d met. Len was way too exhausted suddenly to make sense of all this. Just keep it simple, he told himself.

“Do you want to stay, Scarlet?” Len asked.

The Omega didn’t respond for several long seconds and Len let out an involuntary growl.

“I want you to stay. I know Mick wants you to stay. Do _you_ want to stay?” Len repeated.

“Yes.” The answer was a whisper, but Len heard it well enough.

“Alright then, that’s settled, finally!” Sara smiled. “We’ll be at the hotel. Barry knows which one, and he has our cell numbers, if you need anything. We’ll be back to check on everything tonight.

“Do make sure and eat something, both of you. Then sleep. I know you have a lot to talk about. But it can wait.”

Len growled at being ordered around by a Beta, and not even his. But it was just a grumpy growl, not a threatening one. He knew she was right.

The two women smiled and turned to go, before Len remembered his manners.

“Felicity, Sara…” He started and they turned back. “Thank you. I owe you. A lot.”

“Just take care of Barry, and we’ll call it even.” Sara offered.

Those words twisted Len’s stomach, his protective and possessive instincts kicking up. He still didn’t understand Scarlet. But…he’d already sooner take a bullet himself than see the Omega hurt. Len tried to keep his emotions from showing on his face.

Sara smiled knowingly, and then put an arm around Felicity’s waist as the two women headed out again. They actually made it out the door that time.

Len was left in an empty warehouse with his Beta mate asleep, and an Omega he very much wished was his at his feet. His head was still spinning a bit. Keep it simple for now, he repeated to himself.

“There’s jerky, energy bars, and drinks in the container over there…” Len started, pointing.

“I’ll get them!” Scarlet shot up eagerly.

Len took a deep breath as Scarlet retrieved the food. It was such an Omega thing, to automatically jump to follow their Alpha’s suggestion. Len had to keep reminding himself that Scarlet wasn’t his. Might never be his.

But it was just so _easy_ to imagine the young Omega as belonging to Leonard. He just _fit_ there, with Len and Mick. Like he was always supposed to be there. Like an Omega was _supposed_ to fit with their Alpha and Beta.

But there was so much Len didn’t understand, about Scarlet and about the entire situation. He couldn’t start just assuming things. He needed answers. But the questions had to wait. Even with food, Len still felt slightly dizzy. He was exhausted from everything that had happened.

As they finished eating, Len watched Scarlet start shifting his gaze back and forth between the bed Mick was in, and the couch. That was easy enough to read, at least.

“The bed’s big enough for the three of us.” Len suggested gently. “It would help Mick’s healing, to have you that close.”

Len specifically said ‘ _you’_ , rather than ‘ _an Omega’_ , as he could have. From Scarlet’s wide eyed grin in response, he had noticed the distinction.

They would do nothing but sleep; both Len and Scarlet fully clothed, and Mick in wolf form. But it was still an intimate arrangement for wolves that weren’t mated. Len couldn’t regret suggesting it, though. Especially not when Scarlet was so clearly interested in sharing that bed.

With Scarlet in bed with them, Mick softly snoring in wolf form between them, Leonard slept better that night than he had in months.


	5. Chapter 5

Leonard had planned to be awake before Sara and Felicity returned. He wasn’t sure when exactly they’d be back. But he’d figured he could beat them by a few hours, at least. He was usually a light sleeper and thought he would naturally get up with time to spare. He would have let Scarlet and Mick keep sleeping and taken some time to wrap his head around everything that had happened.

But he’d underestimated how powerful sleeping together as a triad was. Even without being bonded to the Omega. Just sharing a bed with both him and Mick calmed Len’s mind and body more than he’d ever expected it to. So he only woke up when a cell phone tone went off.

He didn’t realize that was what it was, until he had rolled out of the bed and crouched on the floor in a stance ready to fight or transform into a wolf, if needed. Then his brain caught up with his body and registered the pop song, sounding from the phone that Scarlet had left on the couch earlier.

Len sighed, stood up, and stretched. He felt better rested than he had in ages.

“Mick…hey! Just…I’m not go…Mick! That’s my phone! I need to answer!”

Len turned back toward the bed at the sound of Scarlet’s voice and smirked at the sight that greeted him. Mick had a good chuck of Scarlet’s shirt in his mouth and was absolutely refusing to let the Omega get out of the bed. Scarlet had sat up and was flailing his arms around, but wasn’t trying nearly as hard to get away as he could have, if he’d really wanted to be let go. He wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of the large wolf that had hold of his clothes.

“Stay there.” Len chucked.

Len tried to ignore the thrilled twist his stomach gave at how Scarlet immediately stilled and stayed put at his words. An eager obedient Omega was one of the fastest ways to get a compatible Alpha turned on. This certainly wasn’t the time for that, though. Not with Mick still hurt and not ready to change to human.

Len grabbed the phone and brought it back to the bed, handing it to the Omega. Mick had let go of Scarlet’s shirt, but managed to shift half his big furry body onto the Omega’s lap instead. Scarlet wasn’t about to move now, with the injured Beta wolf half draped over him.

Len and Mick exchanged a look while Scarlet checked his phone. Mick’s red eyes in wolf form shined with fond mischief and determination. Just that easily, Len knew several things. Mick was feeling better, healing. Far from entirely well, but better than expected. He’d already forgiven Len and moved past the discord they’d been having the past few weeks. And they were sure as hell keeping Scarlet, if Mick had any say in it.

Len’s own eyes, he knew, shined back with similar fondness and approval. This was one of the things Len loved about Mick and depended on his Beta for. While Len’s mind was always racing, planning, weighing options; Mick was straightforward and assured in what he wanted. Mick wanted Scarlet, plain and simple.

He’d let Len worry about the Omega’s background, why he’d kept disappearing, and everything else that kept running through Len’s head. Mick would listen and offer his opinion if Len asked, once Mick was back in human form and able to. He wouldn’t ask Len to change his way of thinking. He would respect whatever Len decided. But he let Len sweat the details.

Mick wanted Scarlet, he knew Len wanted Scarlet. Scarlet was there. Scarlet acted like he _wanted_ to be there. He was going to _stay_ there, if Mick could keep him there. It was that simple.

“Sara and Felicity are outside.” Scarlet announced after apparently reading texts he’d gotten. “They brought pizza!”

Len tried not to be jealous as Scarlet grinned widely at the prospect of pizza. It ought to be Len’s duty and privilege to provide food for his Omega. Sure, that would usually be done via Len providing Mick, who would cook for them. But still, that someone else was feeding Scarlet instead of them irrationally irked Len. It was part of being an Alpha; the desire to be the one to provide for his mates’ needs.

Len had to mentally kick himself several times to remember that Scarlet still wasn’t _his_ yet. Len hadn’t even managed to think of Scarlet by his real name yet. Len mentally repeated _‘Barry, Barry, Barry’_ to himself, as he went to open the door to let the other wolves and their pizza in.

He greeted the women, scanned the street behind them; noting it was early evening and the area apparently empty, and locked the door behind them. He’d scented an Alpha not far away and recognized it as the same scent both Sara and Felicity carried on them. Their Alpha was nearby, but staying out of sight. He was respectfully keeping his distance, for now. But he was also keeping watch.

Sara checked on Mick’s injury first. She started by reintroduced herself to Mick, since Mick hadn’t exactly been conscience when she’d worked on him the night before. Mick eyed her, grumbled out a few little growls, and then turned on his side so she could examine the wound. All while staying firmly planted in Barry’s lap. Barry didn’t protest having become Mick’s new favorite pillow, and ran his hands comfortingly through Mick’s fur while Sara checked the wound.

“Seems to be healing really well.” She concluded when she was finished. “You might be tempted to transform soon. But try and hold off for at least another day or two. I used the usual wolf-made stitches that will dissolve as you heal, but changing to human too soon still risks them tearing and the wound reopening.”

Mick gave a few grumbled noises in response, but Len knew he understood. And knew Len would be incredibly pissed if he did anything other than listen to the advice.

The five of them devoured the three pizzas next. Wolves always ate a lot, even in human form. They naturally burned through more calories daily, even if they didn’t change forms. They didn’t talk as they ate, but it was comfortable silence.

Having more time to stop and think, without being exhausted and fearing for his mate’s life, Len really began to appreciate this other wolf triad. Felicity was only the second Omega in years, after Barry, that hadn’t cringed away from Len or Mick even once in fear. Sara seemed tough, but treated Mick’s wounds tenderly. And their Alpha let them into Len’s territory; despite Len’s dangerous reputation, and trusted his mates were safe enough with Len.

For Len and Mick, so devoid of other wolf friends that genuinely trusted and respected them, this all meant a lot. And Len knew they had Barry to thank for that.

Without being asked, Barry remained sitting in the bed with Mick in his lap while they ate. The Omega tore the pizza slices into smaller pieces and hand fed the Beta. It wasn’t strictly necessary. Mick could have managed to gobble them up whole in wolf form, if not take human sized bites. But this was better for his digestion. And just being hand fed by Barry was a wonderful comfort for Len’s mate. Len smiled watching them.

“Alright. I’m off to meet Oliver and then we’ll handle that thing we discussed. We should be back by morning.” Sara spoke to Felicity once they’d all finished eating. “You’re still ok staying here?”

Felicity nodded and Len scowled a bit. On one hand, he didn’t like plans being made that he was out of the loop of. On the other, leaving Felicity there, without her Beta and Alpha close by, was an incredible sign of trust toward Len. It dwarfed all the other acts of trust this triad had given him thus far. It was a sign her Alpha expected Len to respect and protect his Omega in his absence, even when he and their Beta were farther away. No other Alpha had ever granted Len that privilege.

“Obviously, if either of these Omegas are harmed before we get back,” Sara turned to Len and stated, “Oliver and I will kill you.”

It was said with a flippant attitude and a smile. It was also meant completely truthfully, and with confidence to back up the threat.

“Obviously.” Leonard said in way of agreement, returning the smile.

Len didn’t mind the threat. It was expected. He would’ve been suspicious if it hadn’t been given. This was how wolves behaved, even among allies. Omegas were protected. Alphas were expected to provide that protection. Betas acted in between the two, as needed.

Sara and Felicity kissed before the shorter blonde left. Len tactfully cleaned up a bit until they were done. Then locked the door behind Sara.

Len and Felicity took seats near the bed where Barry and Mick still were.

“So…I’m imagining you have a lot of questions.” Felicity started the conversation, addressing Len. “I’m going to ask you to hold off on the ones about where and what Sara and Oliver just went to do. Oliver would like to speak to you about it once it’s done, Alpha to Alpha. If you’ll agree to meet him, where ever you choose as a good nearby neutral location. But he wants to confirm some things first.”

Len nodded. He didn’t like it. He hated not knowing the details about what was going on, in any situation. But he could deal with it. He owed this triad a lot, whether they acknowledged the dept or not. He was willing to let them take the lead, for now.

“You and Barry have a lot to talk about.” Felicity continued. “I brought headphones and my tablet. If you want privacy I’ll just go sit on the other side of the room and it’ll be like I’m not even here.”

It was true. The room was large enough that they’d be able to see her and know she was safe, but she likely wouldn’t hear anything. Still, Len didn’t really care if she did listen. He was about to say as much when he noticed that Barry was opening and closing his mouth and looking at Len nervously. No, that wasn’t ok.

“Scarlet…Barry…” Len corrected himself. “Regardless of what our relationship is, or becomes, you _never_ have to look at me for permission to speak your mind. _Ever._ That’s not the kind of Alpha I am. I will _never_ ask you to be silent or to hold back your thoughts, unless it’s for protection because someone untrustworthy could be listening.”

Barry nodded and took a breath. His hands were clenched in Mick’s fur, probably unconsciously. Mick just watched all of them, silent, but very alert and aware, listening.

“I’d like Felicity to stay, and to…she helps me, sometimes, get the words out when I can’t. I’m not like…the worst at talking. I talk a lot when I’m comfortable with someone. But…I get nervous and I get choked up and…Felicity understands me.”

“Then she can stay right next to you.” Len conceded. “I don’t mind her hearing.”

What Barry had said had hurt, but Len pushed it down and tried to not take it personally. Every instinct in his body screamed at him with desire to be the one that Barry was comfortable talking to, the one that he looked at for support. But they weren’t there yet. Len just hoped there was still a chance they could get there.

“It might be easier if you asked a few direct questions.” Felicity offered to Len. “Barry can answer, and I can provide details if he can’t get the words out.”

“Alright.” Len nodded. “The first, and most pressing, is why did you leave us every morning after we’d met in the forest? Unless we drastically misread you, you were interested in us. We’re interested in you. Why not take the next step?”

“I…I wasn’t…I wasn’t ready…I wasn’t ready for you to see me in my human form.” Barry looked down as he spoke, not making eye contact.

“Why not?” Len frowned, completely confused.

“I…I’m not…I’m not pretty enough.”

“ _What?!”_

Leonard couldn’t help it. He’d outright snarled at that. But the very _thought_ that Scarlet thought he wasn’t attractive enough!

“I know…I know I’m not ugly or anything! I know as a wolf, I look good. But I’m not attractive enough as a human. I mean, maybe I’m an ok _human_ human. But I’m not pretty enough for an _Omega_.” Scarlet sounded insistent; as if he could convince Len it was true. “I’m a bad Omega.”

“Being a bad Omega and being pretty have _nothing_ to do with one another! You are _neither_!” Len snarled, “And I will _kill_ whoever made you think this about yourself!”

Scarlet wouldn’t look at him, so Len turned accusing eyes on Felicity. He couldn’t stop growling, but he didn’t want to. Mick was growling too.

“Oh no, not my triad!” Felicity held her hands up. “We have told Barry he’s perfectly attractive and a perfect Omega. He has a therapist Omega, that’s told him the same. But his…”

She looked at Barry, as if hoping he would continue. But he was shaking and was possibly going to rip out some of Mick’s fur he was holding it so tightly. Not that Mick would mind, if it helped the Omega even a little.

“Do you really want me to tell it?” Felicity sighed. “This is _your_ story, Barry.”

“Wait.” Len held up a hand, “Scarlet…Barry…will you look at me? Just for a minute, please?”

Barry licked his lips and swallowed hard, but he obeyed. He locked eyes with Len, and Len put all his Alpha strength and sincerity behind his gaze.

“You are fucking gorgeous, Barry.” Leonard stated flatly, confidently. “You, as a human, right now. The second I saw you as a human, I thought you were amazingly attractive. There is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with how you look. Whoever told you that is completely full of shit.

“Being a good Omega has nothing to do with looks. But either way, you are a good Omega, Barry. You’re kind, sweet, caring, playful, curious, sensitive. You’re willing to submit and to listen.

“I would not have gotten Mick back here without causing him a lot more pain, without you. Mick could have lost that leg, without you. Mick could have lost his _life_ without you.

“We want you as our Omega. I was going to wait to say that, but you seem to need to hear it now and it’s completely true.”

Leonard paused there. He could have said more, but he wanted to leave it at that to let it hopefully sink in.

Barry looked down and bit his lip. Then Len noticed something else.

“No, Mick!” Len snarled. “You are _not_ going to transform right now! I am _handling_ this! You do not need to be human right now!”

Mick growled, low and long. But he obeyed his Alpha. His body relaxed from the tense posture it’d been in, calling the change. He stayed in wolf form, but he wasn’t happy about it.

“Oh no! Don’t you fucking dare, Mick!” Scarlet added his protest to Len’s. “Sara said you had to wait another two days, so you are waiting!”

Scarlet wrapped his arms tightly around Mick, then leaned into him, burying his face in Mick’s fur.

“I’m not going anywhere, ok?” Barry promised. “I’ll stay with you until you’re healed enough to change. Then I’ll listen to whatever you want to tell me, ok? Don’t change and hurt yourself for me, please! I can’t…I can’t handle that. Please, just…don’t. I’ll stay, I promise.”

Mick eyed Len while Barry’s face was hidden in his fur. Mick had done that on purpose, Len suddenly realized. He was banking on the Omega making that very promise. He’d started to transform just so the two of them could stop him.

Len shook his head. The three of them balanced each other out, all right. Now he needed to find out who had wounded this Omega’s self confidence so utterly, so he could kill them.

“Barry…” Felicity was eying Len. “I know you don’t always catch on to when other wolves are being serious with their threats, so…You need to tell this Alpha you don’t actually want him to kill someone for you. Because otherwise, he _is_ going to.”

“What?!” Barry’s head shot up. “No! Leonard! No! I don’t…I don’t want anyone dead! Not for this! Not for…”

“If you say ‘not for me’, that is going to do the opposite of convince him.” Felicity cautioned. “You are _very_ much worth killing for, to him.”

Barry actually growled at that. Len sighed in relief. His confidence wasn’t so hurt that he couldn’t stand up for himself then. Good.

“Why can’t I be as perceptive as you?!” Barry growled at the other Omega. “I’m _supposed_ to be! _I_ want to be his Omega, not _you_!”

Len’s lips twitched into a smile for a second at that. Barry was possessive of him. He wasn’t afraid of him, not really. Afraid of rejection, yes. But not afraid of Len as an Alpha. Good.

“You _will_ be!” Felicity assured him. “Well, I mean, you’ll be more perceptive of his moods. I can’t say if you’ll be his Omega. That’s between the three of you. But becoming more perceptive just takes time being with an Alpha, getting used to him. I can read him because I recognize the same signs in him that I’m used to seeing in Oliver.”

Len let himself fully smile at that. He felt less like killing someone. At least not immediately.

“I…I was doing better, I thought.” Barry sighed.

“You were.” Felicity agreed. “But seeing that man again wasn’t good for you. I know you wanted to make amends, if you could. But Barry, he’s a lost cause. He might not deserve to die. But he doesn’t deserve your time and attention, either.”

“What man?” Len asked, feigning disinterest.

“Oh, that was good.” Felicity laughed. “I almost bought that. You actually sounded like you didn’t care. But we all know better.”

Len shrugged. It’d been worth a shot.

“Leonard, I mean it…don’t…I don’t want you to kill him. And it’s not the killing itself, ok? I mean, I know killing is necessary sometimes, especially for wolves, to keep us safe. But, I don’t want _him_ dead. I…I’ll be really upset if anyone kills him, ok?” Barry tried.

Len shrugged. Barry didn’t sound too sure of that.

“I’m serious, Leonard! I…ok, this is the truth. I don’t want him dead because someone I care about will be sad if he dies.”

“Who do you care about, that would be sad that someone that hurt you is dead?” Len’s eyes narrowed.

“No one you need to be jealous of!” Barry growled in frustration.

“Oh, that was good!” Felicity cheer-leaded, “You picked up that he was jealous right away!”

Len didn’t deny it. It was perfectly natural he be jealous of anyone that Barry cared that much about.

“I…ok…I’m going to tell it. I guess.” Barry sighed. “Just, you have to promise me first, Leonard. You have to promise me that you aren’t going to kill him.”

“I can’t make that promise, Barry.” Len winced. “If someone is hurting an Omega, especially one I care about, I have to stop them. I have to protect you. That’s part of what being an Alpha is. If that includes killing them, then so be it.”

Barry whimpered. That hurt Len, more than any growling could. He wanted to make Scarlet happy, more than anything. But he had to protect him, too.

“ _He_ said he was doing it for my protection, too.” Barry said quietly, sending an unpleasant chill up Len’s spine. “He said it was for my own good. He said I’d understand, someday. He said I’d thank him, someday. And then he locked me in my room. He put silver chains and silver locks over the door and window. He said it was to _protect_ me.”

Mick was growling. Leonard was too. Hell, even Felicity was, for all she had to have known this already.

“I will never lock you up, Barry. That I _can_ promise you.” Leonard tried to keep his voice reasonable, but he knew it came out a half snarl. “I can’t promise I’ll never kill him, even if you ask me not to. But I _can_ promise to listen to you. I _do_ promise to listen to you, always, about everything. But especially about killing anyone.

“Unless the danger is immediate, I promise to thoroughly discuss any killing with both you and Mick beforehand. I promise to listen to your perspective and seriously consider everything you say. I’ve always done that with Mick. I want to do that with you, too.

“I want to make you both _happy_ , and safe. That’s what Alpha instincts do. If you’re unhappy, even if I think it’s for the best for you, it won’t be something I can do for long. Unless it’s to save you from serious harm.

“If you don’t want that…don’t want someone trying to protect you….you might not want an Alpha.”

Barry and Felicity both flinched at that and Len knew he’d said something wrong. It had hurt him to say that. He wanted Barry to want them. But Barry needed to know what he was getting into. Len couldn’t turn off his Alpha need to protect, it just wasn’t possible. He growled again, but tried to calm himself. Mick whined.

“I need to tell you the whole thing.” Barry said, with determination. “I’m sorry; I’ve been trying to take shortcuts. Of course you can’t understand  if I don’t tell you everything. You’ve been honest with me, and I need to be honest back.

“But I _do_ want you. Just to be clear. I do want an Alpha, and a Beta, and to be in a wolf triad. I want to be protected and cared for, and I want to comfort and support, and I want everything else that goes with it. I want that dynamic. That is one thing I’m certain of.”

Len nodded. It was said with conviction and assurance. He could believe it. That didn’t mean _he_ was the right Alpha for Barry. But he still hoped he was. He wanted to be, desperately. For now, he just sat back and listened.


	6. Chapter 6

“My parents died when I was seven.” Barry began. “All three of them on the same day, killed by the same Alpha. I didn’t know who he was, or why, at the time. I just knew they were all dead.”

Mick whimpered and licked Barry’s arm in comfort. Leonard very much wanted to offer to kill this Alpha for Scarlet, but he held his tongue. For now.

“I had the usual wolf triad for parents. They were good parents, but…at that age; they’d barely begun teaching me what it meant to be an adult wolf, much less an Omega.”

Len nodded. All wolves were born, not bitten. Unlike what some humans chose to tell in stories. You were either born a wolf, or born a human. Nothing could change that. The species sometimes comingled. Some wolves chose to be with humans and did procreate. Sometimes the children were human, sometimes wolves. But it was rare. Mostly wolves mated with wolves, and usually as a triad. Wolves were born with their dynamic; Alpha, Beta, or Omega. But it didn’t manifest as strongly until they were teenagers.

“Our neighbor, a policeman that worked the case, took me home and became my foster father. He had a daughter my age and we were friends. But…they were human.”

Ah, it was already beginning to make sense, Len thought. If Barry had been raised by a human who didn’t really understand wolves, a lot made more sense.

Wolves could act human, could take human form. But they were still always _wolves_. Their instincts and needs would always be different from humans, to some extent. Some could pass as acting fully human almost all of the time. Some barely ever could.

“At first, that didn’t matter. That he was human and I was a wolf.” Barry continued. “Joe’d known my parents, he knew they were wolves. He’d been friends with my Alpha Dad. Joe was kind and supportive, what a father ought to be. Iris, his daughter, and I got along really well. She accepted me as her brother easily. I loved having a sister.

“Joe was always overprotective, but it was done with the best intentions. It really was. And he treated both Iris and me the same. For years, it was nothing too extreme. Not until later. Not until I began to manifest my wolf side more.

“It was fine when I was a wolf puppy when I changed. Joe and Iris both went out with me and watched me run in the park, and played with me when I was a wolf.” Barry continued. “But around when I was 13 or 14, when my wolf form started getting bigger…Joe didn’t want me leaving the house as a wolf anymore.

“He said it was for my own good. He said it wasn’t safe for me alone, and he and Iris couldn’t keep up with me anymore when I ran. But he wouldn’t let me befriend any other wolves either, so we could run together. He said they were dangerous, too.

“I wanted wolf friends. There weren’t many wolves around where we lived, but there were some. No matter how many humans I knew, once I was a teenager, I really started to long for wolf friends. Joe hated that.

“He said they would take advantage of me, since I was an Omega. But…he said…he said I wasn’t pretty enough to be a _real_ Omega. He said real Omegas were all prettier than normal humans, really feminine all the time.

“He said no wolves would want to keep me, looking like I did, they’d just use me and…Well, I can’t….I don’t want to get into everything he told me. But it was enough it stuck with me. Even when I was told later by other wolves that it wasn’t true.”

Leonard was growling, a lot. Mick was too. Felicity gave Len a look that said to be quiet. Len had to literally bite his tongue to not say anything. But he listened because he knew if he interrupted Barry now; it would be more difficult for the Omega to start talking again.

Len might not kill this Joe. He did still _want_ to. But he was beginning to realize now why Barry didn’t want him to. A man that had practically raised him wasn’t someone he really wanted to die. Len had some experience in that. And Iris was clearly the person that Barry cared about that would be hurt if Joe died. Len knew something about wanting to protect a sister, too.

Len’s own father had ended up being irredeemable. Len had known that for a long time, and it’d still been hard to kill him. If this Joe was a good parent to Iris, at least, that was something. If he just didn’t understand wolves and had genuinely been trying to protect Barry; that was something.

It was no excuse for what he did. Len didn’t want Barry anywhere near him ever again. To be honest, Len still wanted Joe dead. But since Barry wanted him alive, maybe this was reason enough not to kill him. For now.

But Len would shower Barry with affection as much as he could, to prove to him how wrong Joe had been. He knew Mick would too.

“My therapist told me that Joe either really didn’t understand wolves, or he was purposely saying those things to scare me off of other wolves.” Barry continued, “He may have really thought it was the best for me. He seemed to, but…it still hurt me, a lot.

“I tried to listen. I did try. I…I thought of him like my real father. I wanted to please him. I tried making more human friends. I tried to think of myself dating a human, one day, and settling down with one, rather than a wolf triad. I tried to accept the idea, no matter how wrong it felt to me. I could maybe do it, if I found the right human, I thought.

“But…I needed to _run._ I just couldn’t stay cooped up in the house, or as a human, all the time. As a wolf, I needed to run, and explore, and smell things, and…he said I was being unreasonable. He said he just wanted to protect me.”

Len nodded. All those things were basic instincts that wolves shared. Other wolves might not want an Omega out running all alone. But they would _never_ expect him to just stay inside all the time. Barry ought to have had wolf friends. That was all there was to it.

“I _needed_ to get out and run. Iris didn’t understand, not really, but she did try to help. I managed to sneak out, with her help, for months. I avoided other wolves, but at least I could run on my own. I could run in the forest and feel free and alive.

“Until Joe caught on. That was when he started locking me in my room. When I broke out, he added the silver chains and silver locks on the door and window of my room.

“I started getting sick from being around all that silver all the time. I tried to tell him. Iris tried too. But he wouldn’t listen. He said it was just in my head. He said that silver couldn’t make me sick if I didn’t directly touch it.

“He just…he didn’t understand what it was like, being a wolf. He didn’t believe me when I told him how much I needed to run free sometimes. He didn’t understand how I could be lonely without other wolves around, when I had humans. He didn’t believe the silver was really making me sick. I do think he really thought he was protecting me. Maybe, eventually, when I was older…”

Barry paused and shook his head. What he’d been thinking was understandable without him outright saying it. But even if this man had let up once Barry was an adult, given him more freedom, it wouldn’t have made enough difference. He’d already damaged this sensitive Omega more than he’d likely ever realize.

“But…in the end I couldn’t take it anymore. A few days after I turned 16, I ran away from that house for good.”

Len didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but that wasn’t it. The idea of Barry at that age, on his own….It made Len sick with worry. Len wished he could go back in time and scoop that Barry up and take care of him. Proper wolf care that Barry’s ‘father’ had no clue about.

“It was…” Barry sighed. “It was hard. But it could take days to talk about it all. I’ll tell you more later, if…if…you want, still…If we…but anyway, I survived it. I…”

Len couldn’t take it anymore. He knew he should sit there and listen. He knew he shouldn’t interrupt. But his Alpha instincts were screaming at him.

Len got up, sat down on the bed next to Scarlet, and put his arm around the Omega’s shoulders and squeezed tightly. Mick was still in Barry’s lap. The three of them were together, connected, as they ought to be.

Barry sighed and leaned into Len. He angled his face toward Len’s shoulder and nosed at his neck. Like a good Omega wolf.

“You…you smell so good.” Barry whispered.

“So do you, Scarlet. So do you.” Len responded. “You also look gorgeous.”

Barry blushed. In a very wolf gesture, Len lightly nipped Barry’s nose. The Omega laughed. Len felt rather pleased with himself. This was what Len, as an Alpha, was _supposed_ to do for Scarlet.

“Eventually…” Barry sighed, and got more comfortable leaning against Len as he went back to his story. “Eventually I met Felicity. She was an Omega on her own, too. We both liked computers, nerdy stuff. We got along really well. She was raised by wolves, though their triad had had a falling out. She taught me a lot about being an Omega wolf.”

Barry looked at the other Omega then, as if worried he’d said too much about her. But she just smiled in encouragement.

“You’re doing great, Barry. Go on.” She confirmed.

“We moved to Star City together, got tech jobs.” Barry explained. “Our degrees may not have been entirely legitimate. But we had the skills needed, so why waste money we didn’t have on college for a piece of paper?”

Len smirked. He certainly wasn’t going to protest something for being less than legal. Barry seemed to know that.

“We met Oliver and he was great. A good Alpha. I knew he wasn’t for me to bond with, from the beginning. But he felt kind of like the big brother I wished I’d had.” Barry looked at Felicity again then.

“Oliver and Felicity danced around each other for _years_.” Barry laughed. “It took Sara turning up, after Oliver had thought she was dead, to get them to admit their feelings for each other. They bonded into their triad about…six months or so ago, now.”

“It’ll be our seventh month anniversary in a week.” Felicity confirmed. “We couldn’t be happier together.”

“I was happy for them, of course.” Barry continued. “But…lonely. Seeing them together made me realize more and more what I was missing. So I tried connecting with other wolves. Oliver set me up with some perfectly respectable Alphas and Betas. But…none of them felt right.”

Len squeezed Barry’s shoulder. Mick licked Barry’s arm. Len knew they were both glad that Barry hadn’t found anyone else, but felt bad he’d been lonely. Well, they were there to solve that now.

“I’d kept in contact with Iris, here and there over the years.” Barry admitted. “Just an email every few weeks, mostly. She was engaged, and wanted me to come to the wedding. I almost refused, but thought maybe it’d do me good to meet more people…more…humans.

“I already knew I wanted a wolf triad, not a human mate. I _did_. But I was _so_ lonely, I…I kept reconsidering it. My therapist thought it might be good for me, just to test it, to reassure myself. So I did. I came to Central to visit Iris for a month before her wedding, meet different humans.

“Iris was awesome. She introduced me to people, but never pushed too hard, never insisted I try harder if I wasn’t feeling it.

“Her fiancé, now husband, Eddie is really cool. He’s a policeman, works with Joe actually. But much more relaxed and easy going than most cops I’ve met. And Joe _hates_ Iris being with a cop. Or he did at first, anyway. He’s come around to accept it.

“It got us thinking…maybe Joe could accept me as I really am now. It…wasn’t smart. I shouldn’t have agreed to meet him. I would have seen him at the wedding. That would have been enough. This was…too much.”

Barry turned to nose Len’s neck again, inhaling the Alpha’s scent. An Alpha’s scent comforted a compatible Omega. Len loved that Barry could find comfort from Len this way. Len smiled and rubbed Barry’s shoulder in support. Mick gave Barry’s arm another lick. Barry kept his hands in the Beta’s fur, gently petting.

“Iris had suggested some dates for me. She was very supportive of whatever I decided either way. Joe was…not. He kept pushing. He kept insisting this person, or this person, or this one, would be perfect for me if I just gave them more of a chance. All humans, of course.

“At first Joe acted so happy to see me. But pretty soon he was guilt tripping me for running away, all those years ago. He said if I’d just stayed, I’d have found a nice human by now and been settled down.

“He started on the whole anti-wolf thing again. Saying other wolves just used Omegas. Saying I wasn’t pretty enough to keep wolves happy. But I was like a girl and over-shared my feelings, and that was why humans got scared off. He said I just needed to tone down my emotions and I could…”

Barry trailed off and went back to rubbing his nose against Len’s neck. Len took it as a cue to speak.

“He was full of shit, Scarlet.” Len snarled. “He’s always been full of shit. He doesn’t know the first thing about what he’s talking about. Omegas are sensitive, emotional, and talk about that. Alphas and Betas _rely_ on Omegas for that. To get us talking about our feelings. We _need_ you for that.

“There are just as many guy Omegas as girls. Omegas don’t need to look any certain way. You are _perfect_ the way you are, Barry. Nothing that man has said to you about wolves, or about you as a wolf; human form or not, is at all true.

 “Maybe he is genuinely doing what he thinks best for you. But that’s no excuse. He might not deserve to die. The jury is still out on that, for me. But I’ll let him live, because you want him to, and because you realize you’re better off nowhere near him.

“He doesn’t deserve to be near you, ever. If he tries to keep forcing his way into your life…my stance on _his_ life, and it continuing, may change.

“He’s making you miserable. Making you doubt yourself. Hurting your self worth. No one that truly cares about you and wants to protect you would ever do that, unless they’re blind and dumb.

“If I ever do that to you, I will _let_ Oliver kill me.” Len looked up and addressed Felicity, “You can hold me to that, too.”

“Oh, I will.” Felicity smiled. “But I don’t think it’ll be an issue. I think you’re a good Alpha for Barry.”

Those words, from an Omega, sent Len’s heart racing. That an Omega could approve of Len as an Alpha for another Omega…it was more than Len had dared ever hope for.

“Everything Joe did backfired anyway.” Barry continued. “Because, in the end, he sent me running right to Len and Mick.

“I was so so sick of all the dates, all the set-ups, that Joe insisted on. All I wanted was to spend some time with wolves. So I went to that forest, and I found you two. And everything …everything seemed to just _click_.

“I connected with you two better than I ever had with anyone, human or wolf. I had more fun running around that forest with both of you in one night, than I did spending weeks with human friends.

“At first, I hurried away every morning because I needed to get back to Iris’. But eventually, I told her I’d met wolves I liked, and she was just happy for me. Not disappointed at all, not disapproving at all. But Joe…I….

“I just…” Barry sighed. “Joe just got in my head. He just wouldn’t stop pushing. He wouldn’t stop saying wolves would never really want me. He wouldn’t stop suggesting another human, and another.

“Every one I met, I just wished I was spending time with you two instead. But…he wouldn’t stop saying how wolves would never want to keep me around for long, and…the damage had been done. I couldn’t get that out of my head.

“I started doubting myself. I…I cared _so_ much about you two. I started getting terrified that you’d reject me when you saw me as human. So I just…kept running away.

“After Iris’ wedding, I ran back to Felicity’s triad in Star City. I…I’m so sorry it took so long to come back to you. I _wanted_ to, every day, but…

“I…I’m sorry, I’m a coward.”

“You’re not a coward.” Len responded instantly. “You’re wounded. Hurt in your heart. As a wounded wolf, when threatened, sometimes it’s best to run away. I understand. Mick understands…”

The Beta whined his agreement.

“To be fair,” Felicity added. “There was _a lot_ going on in Star City right then. A lot that my triad got caught up in. We didn’t exactly want Barry to go back to Central by himself, with Iris and Eddie on their honey moon, and run into Joe alone. So he agreed to wait until we could all come. So I apologize on our behalf, too. For making you wait, and worry.”

“You did come back. That’s the important thing.” Len affirmed.

The wait had hurt, of course it had. But if Barry had needed the time, then he’d needed the time. Len and Mick would never begrudge him that. Len was glad Barry had come back with this triad, rather than alone, too. He clearly benefited from the support.

Barry seemed to be done with his story. Len was satisfied with it. There were still some unanswered questions, small details he wondered about, but he thought he understood enough. He wanted this Omega, without reservation.

“Barry, it be would our privilege, our honor, to try our best to heal your wounds. Together, the three of us. If you’ll have us. We want you as our Omega.” Len concluded.

“You’re all that I want, the two of you. Leonard. Mick.” Barry whispered. “But there’s more I need to tell you yet. I don’t want to be a coward anymore. I don’t want to hold this back. Even if it…even if it changes how you see me.”


	7. Chapter 7

Len bit back his automatic instinct to tell Barry that whatever it was wouldn’t change how they saw the Omega. It would sound forced and fake, no matter how true it felt to Len. He had to listen to whatever Scarlet needed to tell them first.

“Ah…about four months ago, you and Mick and some other people broke into a bank…” Barry started.

Len’s entire body stiffened. He couldn’t help it. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all.

Barry and Felicity had clearly known about Len and Mick’s work, for Felicity to erase their criminal record. But being outright confronted by the Omega specifically about one of their jobs instantly made Len uncomfortable.

“Relax.” Felicity interjected. “No one is accusing you of anything. No one here is in any position to judge. My triad often engages in…less than legal activities, too.”

“We…we watched video footage of it.” Barry continued. “You…you killed a man that night, someone on your crew.”

Len tensed further. He felt himself becoming defensive, wanting to lash out. That video shouldn’t have existed. He’d personally erased it.

The Omegas might say they were ok with criminal activity, but to what extent? Murder, no matter how justified, was different than robbery. Barry had said he understood the necessity to kill to protect others sometimes. But did he mean that? Or was he about to tell Len that if the Alpha did something like that again, Barry wouldn’t want anything more to do with them?

“No charges were ever filed.” Len stated, his voice cold.

“And none ever will be.” Felicity confirmed. “I intercepted the video footage via wireless upload before you erased the originals. We watched it once, and then deleted it. We know keeping something like that around is dangerous, even if we’d never planned to use it.”

“Why? What business of yours was it?” Len growled.

“The man you killed, he…” Barry started.

“He hurt an Omega.” Len snapped, cutting him off, his hackles up. “A hostage. She was having a panic attack and he just _punched_ her. Broke her nose. Laughed about it. Kept talking about teaching her a lesson, as in, _raping_ her.

“Even if I kept him from doing it during the job, I can tell when an Alpha’s becoming fixated on something. He would have gone after her afterward. She was unclaimed, no one to protect her. So…”

“So Mick broke his arm when he touched her again, and then you shot him in the head.” Felicity nodded. “Again, no one is accusing you of anything. We’re just…”

“It damn well sounds like you’re accusing us of something!” Len snarled. “Who was he to you?!”

“He was the Alpha that killed my parents!” Barry yelled, getting upset to mirror Len’s agitation. “Eobard Thawne…he…he killed my parents.”

Len froze. Both his body and his mind just stopped moving. Mick whined, shifting anxiously in Barry’s lap. The Beta moved close enough to Len to lick his Alpha’s hand. That helped.

Len shook himself. He’d been preparing himself for Scarlet to accuse them of having done something wrong, to say they shouldn’t have killed that bastard. To not be comfortable with them killing someone, even under those circumstances.

This was…not that. It took Len a moment to absorb this and get his hackles lowered; get off the defensive. Scarlet wasn’t disapproving of them, or their morals, or their work. He was telling them they’d killed someone that had hurt him, deeply.

Len’s instinctual reaction to knowing he’d killed someone that hurt Barry was to preen in pride, but he clamped down on it. He wasn’t sure yet that was a reaction Barry would appreciate.

“We’d been looking for him for a long time, trying to hunt him down. This was the first time he surfaced in years.” Felicity explained. “Oliver fully expected to kill him. But now he doesn’t have to, since you took care of that.”

Felicity was all smiles. But it wasn’t her reaction that Len most cared about. He looked down at Barry, but the Omega was avoiding eye contact again.

“Scarlet…are you happy he’s dead?”

“Yes, yes, of course!”

Barry looked up, smiled, then actually licked Len’s neck. It was a wolf gesture of reassurance. Len sighed and relaxed. He allowed himself to preen a little. He’d been satisfied with that kill. The bastard deserved it. Now, he was even gladder he’d done it.

“I just…I just wish I knew _why_. Why he killed my parents.” Barry admitted.

“I’m sorry.” Len responded. “We would have got it out of him before we killed him, if we’d known.”

Mick gave a growl of agreement. The Beta was very good at getting uncooperative people to talk.

“I know.” Barry sighed. “It’s not your fault. I’m glad he’s dead. I’m glad he can’t hurt anyone else, and my parents have justice.”

“What were your parents’ names?” Len asked. “We didn’t know Thawne well. It was the first time we’d worked with him, and we figured out pretty quick he was a psychopath. But maybe we’ve heard something.”

“Henry Allen, Nora Thompson, and Harrison Wells.” Barry answered.

Len nodded and took a few moments to think. But he came up blank.

“I’m sorry.” Len repeated, shaking his head.

“It’s ok. Knowing won’t really make that much difference. They’re gone, no matter the reason. And now he’s gone too

“I…I’m glad…I’m glad it was _you_ that killed him.” Barry admitted “That’s why…I…I…we looked into you, after. I wanted to know about you both, after I saw the video. The more I found out about you…the line you walk, not obeying the law, but with a code. The work you do. It was exciting, interesting. It was…I wanted to meet you.

“I went into those woods that first time, not just lonely for other wolves, but specifically hoping to meet _you two_.”

Len wasn’t sure why Barry seemed worried to admit that. It just made Len want to preen more, to be honest. It just made Len feel even more assured that Barry was for them, and the Omega wasn’t going to change his mind about them.

“You don’t…you don’t think that’s….too dishonest? Our connection didn’t happen as naturally as I let you believe. I already…I already knew who you were. I already knew what both of you look like as humans. It was…it was really unfair of me.” Barry swallowed hard, looking away from Len and Mick.

“Our connection _did_ happen naturally, Scarlet.” Len assured him. “No matter what you thought of us beforehand, what happened between us can’t be forced.

“You finding out about us made you approach us, which we’re thankful for. But it would’ve just been that, nothing more, if we weren’t naturally compatible regardless.”

“Then you…this doesn’t make you want me less?” Barry whimpered.

“No, Barry. Not at all. It makes us want you _more_. It means you already know about us; what we do; who we are. And you still want _us_. You’ve known about us from the beginning, and you’ve never once been afraid to approach us. You never once hesitated to ask us to play with you. You’ve never once been threatened by who we are, like so many Omegas are.

“It just makes this relationship even more likely to work.”

Barry gave a little happy sigh and leaned further into Len. Len pet his hair for a moment. He then moved his hand to the back of Barry’s neck and gave a little possessive squeeze, Alpha to Omega.

That was a big step, that gesture. An Alpha didn’t do that to an Omega unless they were serious about keeping them, claiming them. The pleased mumbles that came out of Barry’s mouth at the gesture sent Len’s stomach twisting with pride, as well as arousal. Barry rolled his head back, signifying fully accepting Len’s intentions, barring more of his throat to Len in submission.

If the three of them had been alone, and Mick had been well enough to change to human, Len would have seriously considered starting to stake his claim on Barry right them. As it was, he consoled himself by nipping Barry’s neck in several places, hard enough to leave some very distinctive red marks for awhile.

He then moved his mouth to Barry’s mouth and their tongues met for the first time as humans. It was decidedly more erotic than licking each other as wolves had been.

When they came up for air, Len noticed Felicity had moved her chair some distance away and was determinedly looking at her tablet rather than in their direction. Still in Barry’s lap, Mick looked up at them directly, shameless and with a twinkle in his eye.

Len smirked back at his mate. They’d found their Omega. Or more accurately, their Omega had found them. It was only a matter of time now, until Barry fully belonged to them.


	8. Chapter 8

Once Len had gotten his possessive instincts a bit more under control, he asked Felicity if she could stream a movie on her tablet for all of them to watch together. It was done in the interest of not being rude to the other Omega and ignoring her while he marked up Barry. And for Mick, since he couldn’t participate in marking Barry. Barry whined, but he knew it was for the best, too.

They watched something. Len had no idea afterward what it had been. Mostly he enjoyed being so close to Barry and Mick, getting used to Barry’s scent mingling with theirs in that calmer setting. Len might have dozed a bit. Mick flat out slept, snoring. But he had the excuse of still needing to heal from his wound.

Soon after the movie ended, Felicity’s phone rang. Sara was back. Len let the Beta inside.

“Everything’s ok. Went as planned.” Sara told Felicity, the mates hugging in greeting.

“Oliver would like to meet with you now, and explain everything. If you’re agreeable.” Sara offered Len.

Len checked the time. It was just past 6am. _Saints and Sinners_ would be closed, and that wasn’t really neutral territory anyway. He was well known there. People there would back him up if a fight started. There was a _Jitters_ nearby that ought to work.

He told Sara the address and her Oliver agreed to meet him there in a half hour. Meanwhile, Sara and Felicity would stay with Barry and Mick at the warehouse. If Mick had been well, the two groups would have split up. If they’d been human, Oliver might have joined them all there at the warehouse.

But they were wolves, and one of them had been shot by a hunter the previous night. An Omega wasn’t left alone with only a wounded Beta for protection after something like that. Two Alphas meeting as equals for the first time needed neutral territory. It was just the way it was.

Leonard got to the shop first, got two coffees, and sat with his back to a wall. Oliver arrived a few minutes later and joined him. If Len had been unsure if the man approaching him was the Alpha he was there to meet, as soon as he was close enough Len caught his scent and knew for certain. This was unmistakably Sara and Felicity’s Alpha.

“Leonard Snart.” Oliver said by way of greeting, showing he knew who the other Alpha was.

“Oliver _Queen_.” Len said as he rose to greet the other Alpha. “Can’t say I was expecting that.”

“You’ve heard of me then.” Oliver smiled tightly.

They didn’t shake hands. It wasn’t the way of wolves. Being close enough to smell each other’s scents was enough. They sat down across from each other.

“Multimillionaire.” Len began, by way of answer. “Marooned on an island for five years…mostly. Bratva Captain. The list goes on.

“But the only distinction I care about is that my intended Omega views you as a big brother. Your mates helped my Beta. Nothing else about you concerns me.”

“It might.” Oliver sighed and put his hands around the coffee Len had got for him, but didn’t drink. “After what I tell you, it might.”

Len raised his eyebrows in surprise. He’d expected Oliver to begrudgingly give his blessings on Len intending to claim Barry. He’d expected threats if he ever hurt Barry. This was not that.

“I’ll get right to it.” Oliver continued. “The shooter last night was after me, but he was just as happy to take out any of mine. But he wasn’t informed enough to tell wolves apart, once they’d transformed, didn’t bother to learn the different colorings. It’s _my_ fault your Beta got hurt.”

Len sat back, growling slightly. Oliver watched him warily, but didn’t return the growl. For an Alpha facing down another, that was just as damning an admission of guilt as his words had been.

Len had assumed the hunter had been after him and his mate. They had plenty of enemies. None he’d thought would be so bold, but you never know. He hadn’t considered it might have nothing to do with him at all. But an Alpha admitting guilt so plainly to another Alpha…Oliver wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t sure.

“Explain.” Len demanded, an edge in his voice.

“We’ve been having trouble lately in Star City. A new gang moving in.” Oliver answered. “We’ve fought them off, for the most part. We thought they’d given up, moved on. But apparently not. They followed my triad here. They wanted me dead. But they’d have been happy to take out anyone I cared about, in the process.

“My triad went with Barry to the park, but we let him go into the woods to meet you alone, as he had before. We didn’t know they were watching us. They saw Barry leave on his own and marked him as an easy target. They followed him into the forest. But they lost track of him. They saw a wolf and didn’t bother to wonder if it was the one they were after. They saw your Beta, and shot him instead.”

Len’s growling was full on snarl by then. If the coffee shop hadn’t been so busy, the humans would have heard him.

As if Mick getting hurt hadn’t been bad enough, the hunter had been after his _Barry_?! His sweet, perfect Omega had been in danger, had almost been shot!

Len gripped the end of the table hard enough to leave scratches in the wood. At least he’d killed the bastard. But if more were coming…

“I took care of it…them.” Oliver continued. “Sara and I, and our people, took care of them. I got rid of the body of the shooter. Thanks for that, by the way, efficient work. I followed his trail back to where his people were staying.

“I made them talk. They gave up everything, locations of all their people. I killed them after. Our people in Star City took out the rest.

“I’d been trying to go easy on them. Give them an opportunity to wise up, give up. That was my mistake and I truly apologize for it.

“They tried to kill an Omega. An Omega under my protection. So they were slaughtered like the pigs they were.”

Oliver was growling, too. He was clearly deeply upset about this. He cared about Barry, too. That did little to calm Len, though.

“What guarantee do I have that they’re all dead?” Len asked. “How do I know they won’t come after my intended Omega again?”

“I can show you the bodies.” Oliver offered. “Give you all the details, who they were, where they were, everything.”

Len nodded. That would be a start. He would look further into it himself to follow up. Talk to people he knew, that owed him. Check and double check. No one was getting near his Scarlet on his watch.

“That said…” Oliver continued, “I understand if you want me and my triad to stay away from you and your intended Omega, after this.”

Leonard looked at him, gauged his sincerity. He seemed genuine. As tempting as it was to take him up on the offer…

“No.” Len shook his head. “I won’t do that to Barry. You and your triad are important to him. He’s been denied wolf friends for far too long in his life already. I won’t lock him away from living his life, even to protect him.”

Oliver looked surprised, impressed, then smiled and nodded.

“However, I do expect certain precautions to be taken in the future…” Len began.

The Alphas spent the next several hours working out the beginning details. Len’s respect for Oliver grew as they spent more time together, as he saw Oliver’s work on the men that’d been following him. Oliver seemed to appreciate Len’s insight, his head for plans, as well.

As unhappy as Len still was about his Mick getting hurt, his Barry being in danger…he thought this relationship, between Len’s soon-to-be triad and Oliver’s triad, could be very good for both groups indeed.

\------------------------------------------

Leonard and Oliver had gotten a lot accomplished. Len felt fairly confident with their plan, as well as Len’s personal back-up plans that he hadn’t shared with Oliver.

The first part of their plan involved relocating from the warehouse safe house. It was great for running a crew out of. It had been safe enough for awhile. But it was far from the most fortified of properties Len and Mick owned. And they’d stayed there long enough now that it wasn’t as safe to remain in the same place. Len chose to move to an apartment they had. Oliver approved and agreed to help.

It wasn’t their most personal place, the one they called home. But it was homey enough, comfortable, a good place to further bond with Barry. Later, once Oliver’s triad were gone and after some time had passed to make sure no one was watching them, the three would move to their longer term home.

Mick was grumpy and growling about the move at first. Len knew his mate was getting more frustrated about not having permission to transform. He knew Mick would much rather have waited another day or two and been able to limp out of the warehouse himself as a human. He knew Mick had also worried when Len took so long getting back from his meeting with Oliver. It was late afternoon by then.

But as soon as Len mentioned Barry had been the shooter’s target, might still be in danger, Mick went quiet and completely cooperated. He suffered the indignity of lying on a stretcher and being carried to and from their car without protest.

The apartment was in a good part of Central City, rich, elite. Len wasn’t fond of that. But it meant high security. Doormen and guards with guns. Elevators that required a resident’s keycard to use. People that were willing to completely ignore residents carrying in a huge ‘dog’ on a stretcher. Rich people were nothing if not allowed to be oddly eccentric.

Len’s own personally altered security system was in the apartment itself. No one besides Len and Mick knew the codes to deactivate it, or what exactly happened if no one entered the correct codes. The windows were made of bullet proof glass.

Oliver’s triad didn’t bat an eye at the arrangement. They wouldn’t, he was the heir to a multimillion dollar company. Barry looked around a little curiously, but mostly he focused his attention on Mick and keeping the Beta as comfortable as possible during the move. Len was glad he and Oliver were at ease enough with each other now that they could both carry one end of the stretcher, while Barry kept a hand on Mick. Leaving Sara and Felicity to walk freely nearby.

They got Mick settled on the huge bed in the main bedroom, then ordered dinner. Len would pick up groceries the next day, but for right now the cupboards were pretty bare. It’d been awhile since he and Mick had been there.

After dinner, Oliver’s triad headed back to their hotel. The apartment had a second bedroom, but the two Alphas weren’t _that_ comfortable with each other yet. Sleeping in the same close quarters as another Alpha they hadn’t know that long would have meant neither of them slept well.

Getting to experience another night sleeping as a triad, Len was beginning to think he might never sleep well again _without_ his Mick and his Barry in the same bed. He could only trust himself that he’d done enough to keep them safe.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day Len used the computer in the apartment to check his email and the news, while Sara visited and checked on Mick’s wound. It was late morning, nearly noon. But they’d all needed the rest. Oliver’s triad planned to leave the following day, and make it obvious. If anyone was still around, they ought to follow them back to Star City.

That night they’d all share one last meal before that. Oliver had volunteered to cook, which was apparently something he was good at. He’d bring the groceries there for it, as well as several days’ worth too. So they didn’t need to leave the apartment for awhile.

Sara soon left, saying Mick was looking much better on her way out. Barry munched on a breakfast burrito from the bunch that Sara’d brought, and flipped through TV channels. It was all peaceful and relaxing, until Mick emerged from the bedroom…limping, but fully human.

“Mick!” Len shot up, snarling.

Barry got up too, gaping at Mick.

“What?! Sara said I could change now!” Mick whined.

“Funny she didn’t mention that to me.” Len growled.

“So maybe she said I could change as soon as I felt up to it. Well, I felt up to it!” Mick protested. “I’m _fine_ , Lenny! The wound didn’t reopen! No bleeding at all!”

“Let me see.” Len demanded.

Mick, ever obedient…and obstinate at the same time, dropped the pajama pants he had on in one fluid motion. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

Len rolled his eyes and went to inspect Mick’s thigh, unfazed by his mate’s half naked state.

Barry however, Len noticed, was opening and closing his mouth in shock and his face was turning red. Len ignored the Omega for the moment. Barry was going to be seeing human form Mick naked a lot. He might as well get used to it.

Mick’s thigh was red and swollen where the bullet had entered it, but that was all. No open wound, no sign of infection. Len lightly ran his hands over the expanse of skin, and sniffed it, but he could find nothing to scold Mick about. Len was, as ever, thankful for werewolf healing.

“Fine.” Len conceded. “But you are taking it easy for awhile! No walking far, no standing a long time, no _running_! No helping Oliver cook dinner tonight. Your system still needs time to work the silver out of your bloodstream.”

“Yeah, yeah, Lenny.” Mick agreed. “I’ll behave.”

Len pulled the pajama pants back up onto Mick. They were black with little red-orange flames on them, he noticed. Len had bought them for Mick himself. Mick also wore a worn soft black sweatshirt.

Looking at his mate, Len gave into the impulse and hugged him tightly. It took a second, but Mick hugged him back tightly as well. Len sharply nipped Mick’s ear. Mick grunted at the slight pain.

“You scared me half to death, you know that, right?” Len whispered into that ear. “I can’t lose you. I _can’t_.”

“I’m fine, Lenny.” Mick said again, but it was softer, more tender. “Not going anywhere.”

Len and Mick knew what they meant to each other, even if they had trouble saying it out loud often. Len pulled away, but kept a watchful eye on his Beta mate.

“Eat something Sara brought. I don’t care if you don’t like it.” Len ordered Mick next. “You need the food and you’re not standing up to cook right now.”

“Ok, Lenny, ok.” Mick grumbled, but agreed.

Len turned around to find Barry still staring at them. He seemed nervous, but not afraid. He was hesitant, unsure yet of his place with them. Len felt bad for him. It would take time and proper claiming to really make the Omega more confident around them. It couldn’t be rushed, no matter how much Len wished he could completely reassure Barry immediately.

“Hiya Scarlet.” Mick mumbled, as if he was suddenly shy and nervous too. “You’re real pretty, Barry. Been meaning to tell you that for days now. I don’t care what anyone else says, I like the way you look. All there is to it.”

“H..hi Mick! And thanks.” Barry smiled, still clearly nervous, “You…you’re a lot bigger in person, as a human, I mean.”

Barry winced after he said it, as if he knew it wasn’t the best thing to say, but it was what had come out of his mouth. The Omega rubbed at the back of his own neck, clearly anxious. Len wanted to go to Barry, grip the Omega’s neck in reassurance. But Len held himself back. He needed to give this a chance to play out first, without his interference.

Mick grunted, half shrugged, and moved to sit down on the couch. He didn’t move to touch Barry.

Len watched, cautiously. What would Barry do?

Mick _was_ feeling shy and hesitant, too. He’d cover it up by grunting and acting unaffected. But Len knew him. This was his first time seeing Barry with human eyes. Wolf eyes’ perception was a bit different. And Mick knew this was Barry’s first time getting to see him as human in person. Photos and video were never the same as in person.

Barry was gorgeous to Mick. There was no doubt of that at all in Len’s mind. And Mick was gorgeous to Len. So Len figured that Barry ought to find Mick attractive, too. But he didn’t know for a fact that he did. Len didn’t know Barry well enough to interpret his reaction so far one way or the other. Mick was even less sure, because it was about Mick himself.

Mick wasn’t a self conscience person in general. He was comfortable with how he looked. He didn’t feel the need to dress up often, or give much notice of his own appearance. It just wasn’t usually that important to him.

But this was their intended Omega. This was different. Of course Mick wanted Barry to find him attractive. Barry’s only comment being that Mick was ‘a lot bigger’ was ambiguous. It could be a compliment. Or it could mean Barry found Mick’s size intimidating. Plenty of wolves did.

How would Barry handle this? Would he notice Mick needed reassurance? Len could have prodded the Omega in that direction. But he wanted to wait and see if Barry realized on his own first. It would do both of them good, if he did. Both Barry and Mick.

The Omega’s own confidence issues weren’t just his appearance, Len knew. Despite that being the first thing Barry had mentioned. That was just the easiest thing to fixate on. But Barry was unsure about being a good Omega, in general. He was worried about being perceptive enough of his intended mates’ needs.

If he noticed Mick needed something on his own, that would mean a lot more than if Len had to hint to him about it. Len knew Barry was perfectly capable of noticing. What it depended on was if Barry was confident enough in his own perception and intuition to recognize and act on it.

Mick had sat down on the couch and was eying the breakfast takeout bags with distaste, but not reaching for them. He was purposely not looking in Barry’s direction to hide his worry about what the Omega thought of him.

Barry watched Mick. Len watched Barry.

Barry pouted, chewed on his lip for a moment. Then Barry promptly planted himself down onto Mick’s lap; his butt on Mick’s uninjured thigh, lifting his legs to lightly drape over Mick’s hurt thigh, avoid the injury, and rest his feet on the couch. The couch was large. There was plenty of room to sit close, but not on top of Mick. But Barry had chosen this.

Len’s face broke into a wide grin. Mick sputtered in shock at the Omega suddenly in his lap.

“What?” Barry pouted. “It’s only fair, with how much time you spent in _my_ lap as a wolf the past few days.”

Mick just gaped at Barry. Len was very very pleased. This was even better than he’d hoped.

“Unless you don’t want…”

Barry started to move, which was enough for Mick to break out of his daze and grab the Omega’s hips with his large hands to keep him in place.

“Always want you, sweetheart.” Mick grumbled. “Not ever a question you gotta ask. I _want_. I _definitely_ want. Just still wrapping my head around that I get to _have_.”

Barry grinned, self satisfied as he deserved to be. He got out another burrito and started hand feeding it to Mick. Never mind the Beta was perfectly capable of feeding himself now. Mick looked at Barry in amazement, but ate everything the Omega gave him. His hands stayed on the Omega’s hips.

Len smirked and joined his mates on the couch. He moved Barry’s bare feet into his own lap, giving them a possessive squeeze. Barry smiled more.

Barry might not be properly claimed yet. But he was theirs. He fit them perfectly. And anyone that tried to take him from them, beware. These wolves knew how to use their teeth.

Though, for the moment, Len would deem to use his teeth to chew the breakfast burrito Barry was putting into his mouth. And his tongue to lick his Omega’s fingers clean.

\-----------------------

Dinner was nice, for the most part. The atmosphere was mostly subdued and relaxed, full of small talk. On one hand, Len enjoyed being in the company of a group of friendly wolves, something he rarely got to experience. On the other, he was looking forward to spending more time alone with just his Beta and intended Omega.

Felicity had brought the remainder of Barry’s belongs from their hotel room, with promises to ship the rest of his things over as soon as they got back to Star City. So the Omega had enough clothes and personal items for the time being. Not that either Len or Mick would ever protest the Omega using their things or wearing their clothes. Len certainly planned on buying Barry whatever he wanted once they were comfortable it was safe enough to go out shopping.

Oliver had confirmed that Barry could continue to work his tech job for Queen Consolidated remotely. As long as he had his laptop, there was no reason he couldn’t do his work long distance. He could keep that job, get another locally, or not work at all, as far as Len was concerned. Len would be happy to provide for the Omega financially. But he also understood Barry might prefer to work and make some money of his own. It was up to Barry.

If Barry was interested in becoming involved in Len and Mick’s work…that was something the three of them would have to discuss at length, later. Len wasn’t about to approve of anything that put the Omega in a high risk situation, like committing complicated heists did. But at the same time, there were other aspects to their jobs that he _could_ help out with, if he wanted. The planning itself often involved computer work that Barry might find interesting.

But there would be time to figure that out later. For now, Len planned for them to take a break from committing major crimes. At least for a few months. They had enough money saved from recent scores that there was no hurry.

Barry’s therapist had already agreed to conduct their sessions over the phone, as she had while he was in Central visiting Iris. There was no reason that couldn’t continue. Or she could recommend a local therapist, if Barry wanted in person meetings instead.

Everything seemed set and arranged for Barry to comfortably live in Central now, with Len and Mick. They all seemed glad the Omega didn’t need to return to Star City for anything anytime soon.

Mick managed to leave Oliver alone in the kitchen to cook, but it was a near thing. It took both Len glaring at him and Barry pouting at him to keep the Beta on the couch. Normally Len loved that Mick enjoyed cooking, he was certainly great at it, but his mate needed to stay put and heal. Oliver could handle it.

Len knew part of the problem was as simple as having another wolf use a kitchen Mick saw as _his_. But more so, Mick wanted to cook specifically for their intended Omega. Directly providing an Omega with food was one of the basic instincts of other compatible wolves. That Mick was good at cooking, and could give their intended Omega meals he could really enjoy, was something the Beta understandably wanted to show off to Barry.

“Relax and let Oliver have this one!” Len snarled when Mick again made a move toward standing up and heading toward the kitchen. “You can cook for Barry tomorrow!”

“You can cook for me _every_ day after this, Mick!” Barry snorted. “It’s not like _I_ can cook!”

“Yeah?” Mick asked, sounding hopeful and sitting back down. “You never got fed that bullshit about the Omega being the one supposed to cook, then?”

It was a common attitude among old fashioned wolves; other wolves provided the food, but the Omega was expected to prepare it. Len had never cared for the idea. Omegas had enough responsibility, gave enough to their mates. If they didn’t enjoy cooking, so what?

“Nope.” Barry confirmed. “Felicity has been my Omega role model and she can’t cook either. I can usually microwave things, occasionally fry something, without burning it. But mostly I’m hopeless in the kitchen.”

“I tried to learn to cook, once I had mates.” Felicity added, laughing. “That lasted about a week before Oliver suggested he’d be happy to take on all the cooking duties, as he actually enjoys it. It was sort of adorable the way he put it, making sure I didn’t see it as an Alpha order to give up cooking. But at the same time, saying to please stop because it pained him to see how much food I ruined and wasted in the process, and how unhappy it made me to keep trying.”

Len nodded in understanding. The fine line between suggesting and ordering was something all good Alphas had to be careful with. Mick was great at growling whenever Len stepped too close to the line over something he shouldn’t. Barry would likely be less so, so Len would have to be watchful of how he worded things. Thankfully Mick, as a good Beta, would keep an eye on that too, and let Len know if he ever overstepped.

Mick was appeased and stopped trying to make a break for the kitchen after that, thankfully. Though Len suspected he was already planning what he would make them for breakfast.

The food Oliver made was delicious. Mick even complimented the Alpha on it, begrudgingly. Len preferred Mick’s cooking, but he knew he was biased.

Oliver’s triad stayed for awhile after dinner, and the wolves all watched some TV together. It was nice enough, though Len couldn’t say he was sad when they headed out. Barry, however, was definitely sad. The Omega hugged each of the other wolves goodbye and got visibly choked up with tears.

Len had to grit his teeth to keep from snarling when Barry hugged Oliver. He knew there was no reason for jealousy, but his possessive instincts where what they were. He hated seeing another Alpha touch his intended Omega, no matter how much he knew Oliver was no threat to Len’s intent to claim Barry.

Once they were properly bonded and every wolf with a nose would be able to smell Len’s claim on Barry, it would be easier for Len to keep calm. By the next time Oliver visited, that would be the case, Len reassured himself.

Seeing Barry looking sad and almost lost afterward, Len felt bad for the Omega. But he couldn’t quite regret his own feelings either. He wouldn’t be a proper Alpha if he wasn’t possessive of his intended mate.

“How about we watch one more show before bed?” Mick suggested.

Barry soon ended up draped across both their laps on the couch. His head was on Len’s thigh, his hip on Mick’s thigh. Len pet Barry’s hair, while Mick ran his thumb in little circles on Barry’s hip. The three wolves got endless comfort from this position. Before long, they were all yawning.

“We should get to sleep.” Len suggested.

Barry whined, ever so slightly, at Len’s words. Len guessed what he meant, and hoped he wasn’t wrong. As much as Len was looking forward to asserting his claim on Barry, the Omega was looking forward to that reassurance of being wanted; belonging.

“Scarlet, I _am_ going to start claiming you soon. Have no doubt of that.” Len assured the Omega. “My scent is going to be all over you, and _in_ you, before we leave this apartment again. But right now we’re all tired, and you’re sad about the prospect of your friends being so far away. So not tonight. But soon, I promise.”

Barry had given several pleased little shudders at the promise of claiming. But he seemed content enough to wait a bit longer, after that assurance. So with that settled, the three wolves headed to bed.

It was the first time the three of them had shared a bed with them all in human form. But it was surprisingly easy to get comfortable. Again, Len marveled how they just seemed to _fit_ together, even in the way they arranged themselves together for sleep.

Barry naturally ended up in the middle, with Len and Mick tightly wrapping themselves around their intended Omega. Finally where he belonged, safe and snug between his intended mates, as Len had wanted since that first night they’d met the scarlet wolf in those woods.


	10. Chapter 10

Leonard woke up to the delightfully distinct scent of aroused Omega. On a basic instinctual level, nothing smelled better to an Alpha than a horny Omega. That this scent was in his bed, coming from an Omega eager to be claimed by Len…it was a wonderfully heady, intoxicating feeling. Len just relaxed and let himself smell it for a few moments in that state of half asleep/ half awake. He smiled with his eyes still closed as he allowed himself to slowly wake fully up.

Unless they were woken by a loud noise, most wolves’ first sense they noted when they woke up was smell. Even when they were in human form. So Len’s other senses followed as he woke the rest of the way up, allowing him to notice more. What he noticed was a persistent soft grinding pressure against his groin. Barry was rubbing his ass against Len’s crotch.

“Good morning, Scarlet.” Len smirked.

The Omega froze at the words, which was not the reaction Len had been expecting.

“I’m sorry!” Barry whimpered.

“For what, Scarlet?” Len asked, genuinely confused.

“I don’t have…you said to be patient, to wait, and I…I didn’t have your permission, but I couldn’t help myself, I…” Barry rambled.

“Barry, baby!” Len purred, putting his hands on the Omega’s hips and kissing the side of his neck. “You _did_ wait! It’s morning, you were patient. You’re good, Scarlet! For the record, you have my permission to rub your ass against my crotch whenever you damn well want!”

“Yeah?” Barry sounded unsure, but hopeful. “I’m not…I’m not being too needy?”

“No, Barry. You’re being _wonderfully_ needy! Omegas are _supposed_ to be needy! And good Alphas and Betas love being able to fulfill their Omega’s needs. That’s how it’s supposed to work. We’d get anxious and grumpy if you didn’t show us what you need, so we can take care of you. You have nothing to be sorry for!”

Barry sighed deeply and his body relaxed against Len’s. Len squeezed the back of Barry’s neck in further reassurance.

Mick had woken up by then and was eying the two of them with a smirk.

“So…claiming starting _before_ breakfast then?” Mick chuckled, hurriedly adding at Barry’s worried look, “Not something I have a problem with. Work up a good appetite first that way.”

Barry smiled and Len and Mick smiled back. The intended triad was in agreement. There was no reason to wait any longer.

Len started nipping at Barry’s neck, the Omega eagerly arching his throat submissively to give Len better access. Len bit just hard enough to leave marks, delighting in how strongly he could both taste and smell the Omega at that angle.

Mick kissed Barry, the Omega readily opening his mouth for the Beta’s tongue. Barry was soon squirming eagerly between his two intended mates.

Len was determined not to rush their first time together, but not to drag it out too long either. Their intended Omega was clearly anxious and Len wanted to do all he could to reassure Barry. Starting to claim him was a big part of that.

Claiming; the act of wolves becoming official bond mates, wasn’t a short process like some humans assumed. It took a full month of following specific guidelines to form a proper bond. Sex was a big part of it, but it wasn’t the only part.

It was good for wolves to spend as much time together as possible while bonding. But for it to be successful, every intended member of the bond needed to be together for at least eight hours a day, every day, for a full month. This could be achieved by them sleeping together nightly, if nothing else, if the wolves led busy lives.

But ideally it was more than that. It was time intended to be spent learning to live together, learning how each member of the bond interacted together; what each could and should contribute, and what they should avoid. This time spent together was the foundation of how their relationship would work.

Thankfully, with the money Len and Mick had saved from various jobs, the three of them could likely spend the full month with little time apart. They would spend at least a week or two in this apartment. And then maybe move to the house they considered their more permanent home, if everything seemed safe to do so. The location wasn’t the important thing, really. It was just that the three of them spent the time together and open to learning about each other.

Then there was the sexual part of claiming, of course. To form a successful bond, the wolves involved needed to have sex at least three times a week, on three separate days, for the full month. Quite often there was definitely much more sex than that, but that was the minimum needed.

The definition of sex needed for the bond to form was broad. As long as all the wolves reached orgasm while in physical contact with the others, it would work. If an Alpha and an Omega were part of the bonding, that sex would involve the Alpha knotting the Omega, of course. It was only natural, though it wasn’t strictly required.

When Len and Mick had bonded, for example, the majority of the time they used their hands and mouths to get each other off. Most of their sex together was constituted of that, even afterward. Mick could take Len’s knot and enjoy it, but it wasn’t his preferred sexual activity most times.

Betas didn’t crave their Alpha knotting them like Omegas did. Likewise, Alphas didn’t feel the strong desire to knot their Betas like they did their Omegas. Omegas were the only wolves that produced slick in their hole, to specifically aid in taking their Alpha’s knot.

Len and Mick had thoroughly enjoyed their sex life as it had been. It was what worked for the two of them. But admittedly they’d always wanted an Omega to join them and balance them out like they were intended to.

Beta wolves, in general, where not as sexually driven as Alphas and Omegas. They liked sex fine, but usually craved it a bit less than the average human. Whereas Alpha and Omega wolves’ sex drives were normally higher than the average human.

Beta wolves didn’t have time periods where their sex drive was heightened, either. Alpha wolves went into rut, and Omega wolves went into heat; time periods lasting three to seven days where they desperately craved sex to the point of excluding anything else. Sometimes losing the ability to think of anything beyond their sexual cravings, if those cravings weren’t met.

How often these ruts/heats came depended on each particular wolf and their circumstances. That was the big part that humans often forgot, and what kept wolf society mostly civil. If a wolf was unmated, they usually only went into heat/rut once or twice a year. They usually could predict when it was coming, and plan for it. So they could make arrangements with an amicable wolf to help them out, or get the supplies needed to take care of it themselves.

Once mated, Alpha ruts and Omega heats naturally timed themselves to align between mates. They also amped up in frequency to once monthly. So if everything went as it should, by the end of their bonding month together, Len and Barry would both go into rut and heat together at the same time. Then again together every month following.

Beta wolves, while not prone to rut/heat, had a very important role during these times. They remained rationally headed while their mates could focus on little beyond sex. They were the ones that made sure their mates ate properly, kept clean (it was amazing how unimportant washing sheets seemed when desperate for another round of sex), made excuses to jobs (sometimes creatively if the employers were humans clueless about wolves), and countless other tasks the Alpha and Omega would have no thoughts of during that time.

Once bonded, wolves normally mated for life. There were exceptions, of course. But once the bond was in place, it stayed there unless broken. To break a bond, a wolf would have to go a full year and a day without being in physical contact with their mates. Mates could be estranged, could have sex with others, but the bond would remain until that time had passed. _Another_ year had to pass before a wolf could create a bond with new mates. It did happen, but it was quite rare.

An Omega wanting to make that kind of commitment to Len and Mick was something they’d nearly given up all hope for. But now, Len thought, they’d just been waiting for Barry to find them. Their Scarlet was who they were supposed to be with. He was the Omega that fit with them. Now they could begin to make that claim official.

Len and Mick started getting a bit bolder in their exploration of Barry’s body with their mouths and hands. The Omega mostly lay back, panting and submissive, squirming happily under their touches. Barry might initiate more; once he got more comfortable with them, but for now it was only natural he let them do the work.

They were all wearing soft sleeping clothes that made petting easy, and did nothing to hide that all three of their cocks were getting hard. The clothes soon came off and landed on the floor.

The three of them took a few moments to just look at each other. Len and Mick staring down at Barry sprawled on his back on their bed. Barry looking up at the two of them, his eyes darting back and forth between them. The Omega licked his lips and his smiled widened. He clearly liked what he saw.

“Look at all these beauty marks!” Len commented as he scanned Barry’s body with his eyes.

“They’re moles.” Barry tried to correct.

“I say they’re beauty marks.” Len countered, putting some Alpha authority behind it.

“They look like beauty marks to me.” Mick confirmed. “Also look fun to lick.”

Barry blushed, but didn’t disagree. He was grinning, clearly pleased. Mick was good to his word, trailing licks and kisses all along the natural marks all over Barry’s body.

Len decided to go for something a bit more sensitive on the Omega, and wrapped his lips around one of Barry’s nipples. Len sucked and gently nipped the pink bud, sending Barry squirming and whimpering more. Barry’s hands tried to latch onto Len’s head, his fingers running through Len’s short hair unable to get a grip. Len moved to Barry’s other nipple and gave it similar treatment.

A few minutes later, Len pulled back to look at the Omega. Barry’s nipples were swollen slightly, with a trail of Len’s saliva between them. Wolf saliva contained their scent, of course. Lines of Mick’s saliva and little bite marks ran up and down the expanses of Barry’s exposed body. Barry’s pupils were blown; his eyes open wide and dazed. Small whimpers left his lips, his mouth still smiling. This was how they wanted their Omega, happy and needy for them, covered in their marks and their scent.

Mick continued to bite and lick the Omega, concentrating at the moment on Barry’s belly. It was a deep act of submission, the Omega letting another wolf’s teeth that close to his vulnerable stomach. Len knew Mick appreciated it, and Barry enjoyed it.

Len could smell how wet Barry was. Omega slick had a very distinct sweet smell that went straight to Len’s cock. The Alpha’s already erect length gave a little impatient twitch. Barry’s cock was likewise erect and Len smirked at the sight confirming the Omega’s readiness.

Len got hold of Barry’s thighs and gently pulled them apart. The smell was overwhelming and amazing. Len bent down and licked Barry’s hole, tasting him and inhaling his scent. The Omega’s slick tasted like honey and cream. Len dipped his tongue ever so slightly in the twitching, leaking hole, then licked a trail up to Barry’s balls and gave them a light lick too.

“Oh, oh…Alpha, Alpha, I need your knot! Please!” Barry whimpered, likely not able to hold back the plea any longer.

“Oh, Omega, I am going to give it to you!” Len promised. “I’m going to knot your eager dripping hole, fill you up with my scent, let everyone know who you belong to!”

“Yes, yes, please, please!” Barry babbled.

Len would have taken the time to stretch Barry first, if he hadn’t been an Omega. The submissive wolf’s hole would already be instinctually stretching itself, pulsing and throbbing, the muscles moving  to open up for an Alpha’s knot while it filled itself with slick. Len’s cock throbbed in response to the thought.

So Len didn’t waste any time, fisted his cock and guided it to enter the Omega. It slid in easily enough, the slick covering the length. As soon as it was inside, Barry’s hole tightened around it and Len gasped. The Alpha kept still a moment for both of them to get used to the connection. Barry moaned, pushed his head back into the pillow under it. Mick took advantage of Barry’s bared throat, and moved his licking and nipping to there. Mick’s own hard cock was rubbing against Barry’s thigh.

“Beta…” Barry whimpered, “Want you in my mouth, please?”

Mick blinked, clearly surprised. He’d likely been planning on tugging himself off and squirting on Barry’s stomach. But being in Barry’s mouth…who could resist that?

“You sure, sweetheart?” Mick asked. “I don’t have an Alpha’s knot, but I ain’t exactly small.”

“I’m sure!” Barry confirmed. “Want you both in me at the same time…both ends…please!”

“Alright, sweetheart, alright.” Mick agreed. “Whatever you want, Omega.”

Barry grinned, clearly pleased to get his way. As if they’d ever deny him anything in their power to give.

Mick situated himself so his hip was on the pillow next to Barry’s head. Barry might have to strain a little to twist his head to reach. But Mick wouldn’t be willing to kneel over the Omega’s head and risk choking him. Barry seemed happy enough with the arrangement and didn’t protest.

Barry took Mick’s cock in his hands and the two shifted a bit to make it work, but he got the Beta’s cock in his mouth. Mick’s cock was indeed large. Barry didn’t get the entire length in his mouth, but he eagerly sucked on what he could fit. Mick groaned, clearly deeply affected by the attention. Mick ran his hands through Barry’s hair, not tugging, but tenderly petting.

Len, for his part, was only more turned on by the sight. He’d been gritting his teeth to keep still, but now gave in to his urge to thrust into Barry. Len tried to start slow, but once he was sure he wasn’t going to hurt Barry, he let himself speed up.

The Alpha slammed into the Omega, while the Omega sucked the Beta’s cock. It was a delightful three way connection for them. All three wolves whimpered, moaned, and growled, as they moved together.

Mick was ready to finish first, and tried to pull out of Barry’s mouth, but the Omega stubbornly didn’t let him. Mick’s cock released its load into Barry’s mouth as the Omega tried to swallow it all. Some dripped down his chin. The sight spurred Len to fuck Barry faster.

Mick did pull out when he was done, looking at Barry sheepishly. Barry grinned widely back, unashamed.

Len caught his Beta’s eyes, and then looked down at Barry’s cock. Mick easily got the idea and sat up. Both Len and Mick gripped Barry’s cock together. The Omega let out a full throated moan at the contact.

Len and Mick together tugged Barry’s cock, while Len continued to thrust into the Omega. Barry came next, gasping and twitching, squirting onto his stomach and Len and Mick’s hands. Leonard came soon after, letting out his own moan and filling up his Omega with his come as he’d promised.

Len stilled, panting. As soon as his orgasm had started, his cock swelled up into its fully knotted state. Barry’s hole, in response, clenched down more on Len’s length. Len’s cock was effectively now locked inside Barry’s hole. The Alpha and the Omega were intimately tied together, as nature had intended, for at least the next half hour. Their bodies would both mutually make sure Len’s come stayed, and absorbed well, inside Barry.

There was no tearing them apart without seriously hurting them both. Not that either would ever try. Knotting was a comforting, fulfilling connection for an Alpha and their Omega. Though it was sometimes a bit inconvenient. But at the moment, they had plenty of time to relax and enjoy it.

Still panting slightly and feeling the aftershocks of his orgasm, Len shifted to reposition them to lie on their sides, facing each other. They’d be more comfortable that way. Barry moved along under Len’s hands’ direction, and looked happily dazed and sated.

Mick looked at the two of them, smiled in satisfaction, and then got up off the bed.

“Wait, what, Mick?” Barry whimpered at the retreating Beta.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going far. It’s just time for me to make breakfast, sweetheart.” Mick answered. “I’ve been looking forward to it. The two of you are going to be hungry as hell once you’re done knotting. We can have breakfast in bed, and then cuddle afterward.”

“Ok, I guess.” Barry pouted a bit, but knew the Beta was right.

“Make sure you _sit down_ , if your thigh is sore _at all_.” Len cautioned. “The food will be fine even if you don’t watch it for a few minutes.”

“Yes, Lenny.” Mick rolled his eyes, but agreed.

Mick pulled his sweatpants and shirt back on, then looked at his two mates connected on the bed. He moved back closer and gave Barry’s bare ass a playful smack. Barry let out a little pleased gasp.

That was enough to send Barry’s hole clenching down even tighter on Len’s cock, forcing him to release another small squirt of come into the Omega. Mick chuckled, knowing exactly what chain reaction he’d just made occur, and then headed toward the kitchen. Len growled at the Beta’s teasing, but not unhappily.

For the next half hour while they were knotted together, every two to five minutes Barry’s hole would again clench down harder on Len’s cock, and it would obediently give the hole another coating of come. Each release from his cock was pleasant, though in no way as intense as his initial orgasm. But the knotting made the entire session of sex more fulfilling for both of them. Their bodies were both getting to perform the roles nature had intended for them.

“Are you happy, Barry?” Len suddenly felt the need to ask.

“Of course, Len! I’m so so happy! I feel great! That was all great! I…just…yeah…I’m really happy.” Barry trailed off, but he was smiling.

Len kissed him. If his Omega was happy, the Alpha was happy too. Their Beta was happy, making them food. Soon he’d be back, as he’d said, and they’d eat and cuddle.

If they were still knotted together, Mick wouldn’t mind feeding them by hand. Sometimes knotting _did_ last longer than half an hour, in especially compatible mates. Mick would likely tease them about it, but it would be done good-naturedly. Len knew Mick felt satisfied, as a Beta, seeing his Alpha and Omega knotting properly. He’d enjoy taking care of them while Len and Barry were literally stuck together.  

Len relaxed and just enjoyed the feeling of being inside Barry, connected intimately, giving him the additional squirts of come when his hole demanded it, and smelling their scents mingling.

The satisfaction he got from knowing Barry was now going to carry Len’s scent everywhere he went was immense. No amount of washing or trying to mask it could hide it. Not that Barry was likely to try to. It wasn’t the scent of being fully claimed yet. That wouldn’t come until the month was complete. But it was the distinct scent of a wolf in the process of being claimed. Every wolf that Barry meant would know that Len was claiming him. Only a fool would try anything with Barry now.

Len estimated it was a bit longer than a half hour before he felt his knot begin to go down, but only by a few minutes. He felt Barry’s hole stop clenching down on him and loosen a fraction, at the same time. Len pulled out slowly, carefully. Barry sighed slightly at the loss.

Len’s cock was covered in Barry’s slick and his own come, and a bit dripped out the Omega’s hole onto the sheets. Though it was only a few drops compared to how much Len had shot into him. Their knotting had worked the way it was intended.

“I’m going to get a washcloth.” Len told Barry, with a little kiss. “Be right back.”

Len returned and cleaned them both up, just as Mick came in with breakfast.

“Won’t usually take me that long.” Mick grumbled. “But _some_ Alpha ordered me to not stand for too long, so I had to adjust the heat and timing for that.”

Len smirked, unashamed. Barry smiled and sat up. Mick handed them both trays with food and coffee, and they dug in.

“Oh my god, Mick!!” Barry let out a moan, nearly as loud as when they had been fucking him. “This is delicious!! How is this even possible?! I didn’t think eggs could taste this good! Now I know why you hated that fast food breakfast yesterday.”

Mick’s grin nearly split his face in half. The Beta was glowing with pride. He deserved it. The omelets he’d made were prefect, as usual; with eggs, cheese, spinach, tomatoes, even bits of both bacon and sausage. There were spiced hash browns, which Len knew Mick had made from fresh potatoes. There was toast with butter and jam too; a fresh farm jam brand Mick approved of, though sometimes he made his own. Mick had been very specific in telling Oliver what groceries to pick up, and the other Alpha had listened.

“All his meals are going to be like this, aren’t they? I am never going to want to eat anyone else’s cooking ever again, am I?” Barry shook his head.

Len smirked more. Mick actually blushed. It meant so much because Barry’s enthusiasm was absolutely genuine.

“That’s the idea.” Len answered. “You’re ours now. We’re keeping you. And we’re going to make sure you never have any reason to want to be anywhere else.”

The month of claiming Barry had just started, but Len was quite satisfied at the moment. Even if it wouldn’t be completely official for awhile, they were a full wolf triad. Len was happier than he’d been in a very long time, and he knew his mates were too.


	11. Chapter 11

“We should keep count sometime,” Mick teased, “Find out how many hours total your knot spends buried in Barry’s butt every day during rut/heat week.”

“It’s four hours daily, at least.” Len answered, without really needing to think about it.

“Is that…too much?” Barry asked with a little whimper.

“No, baby, of course not!” Len assured him. “If it was too much, my cock wouldn’t knot up again for you. This is great, I love every second buried inside you, you know that!”

Barry sighed happily and his hole clenched down on Len’s knot, greedily forcing another shot of come to release into the Omega. Len sighed too, satisfied. Mick just snickered.

It was just past noon. Mick had come once that morning and was still perfectly sated. He might join them and come again before bed. But he’d been dressed and out of the bedroom since morning, doing work around the house and periodically checking in on his horny mates.

Len and Barry had fucked four times already, and would likely fuck again at least four more times before nightfall. Len’s knot stayed stuck in Barry’s hole for at least a half hour after each time, of course. They hadn’t gotten dressed or left the bed once that day, besides quick bathroom breaks. They had sex, knotted, napped, ate when Mick brought them something…repeat.

This was their fourth day of shared rut and heat, at the end of their bonding month. Soon, Barry would be completely claimed. For now though, their bodies seemed insistent on demanding round after round of desperate sex to finish cementing their bond. Apparently, the Alpha and Omega were even more compatible than they’d thought.

“Here Barry, drink some more iced tea.” Mick instructed. “You’re going to get dehydrated if you don’t, with the amount of slick you’re making. Not even counting sweat and saliva.”

Barry blushed deeply, but accepted the straw Mick guided into his mouth and obediently drank some tea from the glass.

“You aren’t…getting sick of taking care of us, are you, Mick?” the Omega asked nervously.

“No, of course not!” the Beta snorted. “I _love_ having you both like this! The two of you all knotted up in bed together means you can’t get into any trouble!”

Len grumpily growled a little at that. They’d barely gotten into _any_ trouble during the past month. Ok, there was that one little incident, but it barely counted!

\--------------------------

The three of them had just moved from the apartment to their more permanent home. It was a nice house in the suburbs, in a quiet middle class neighborhood. The local wolves there knew Len and Mick’s reputation and kept their distance. Except, apparently, for an Omega that was there visiting a human friend for awhile.

Len and Barry had been out walking, just looking around to show Barry the neighborhood, while Mick had stayed at the house. This new Omega had noticed Len, and asked if he could help her move some of her suitcases into the house. Of course knowing full well Len, as an Alpha, found it incredibly hard to resist any innocent harmless request an Omega asked of him.

Len hadn’t seen it as flirting or showing interest in him outside of his ability to carry luggage. But he admitted he hadn’t been looking for any ulterior motives, either. He was so used to Omegas being scared of him, he wasn’t looking for anything else. He’d figured with Barry right there maybe she felt more comfortable approaching Len. But that was all he thought of it.

He hadn’t even considered she might be making a move to challenge Barry by the request. But Barry had seen it, instinctively immediately. And he responded accordingly.

“He’s _my_ Alpha!” Barry had snarled and latched onto Len’s arm.

If that Omega’s request had been truly innocent, if she’d just wanted the help or to try and make local wolf friends, she could have deflated the situation easily. If she’d just said a simple assurance of no interference in their bond meant. Or a little submissive gesture toward Barry, like breaking eye contact and looking downward. Anything like that could have worked. But that wasn’t how she chose to respond at all.

“Hmmm…not quite yet, he isn’t, I think.” She’s smiled in fake innocence and Len’s indifference toward her quickly changed to dislike. “It smells like the bonding month isn’t finished yet. I’ve still got a chance to cut in.”

“No, you don’t.” Both Len and Barry said the same words at the same moment.

This was rude as all hell, Len thought. Mating challenges to intended wolves were acceptable _before_ a bonding had started, but in the middle of one?! Len was slightly disgusted by it.

This Omega struck Len as completely incompatible with him, even if he hadn’t already been devoted to Barry. She seemed much more interested in stroking her own ego by potentially breaking up bonding mates, than actually finding mates to bond with herself. She seemed young and high on her own power and influence. A spoiled brat, essentially.

If she hadn’t been an Omega, he would have already said something rude to her in response. Barry, as another Omega, had no such hesitation.

“If you think, because you’re a woman and another Omega, that I won’t tear out your throat if you come even _near_ my Alpha…you’re wrong. _Dead_ wrong.” Barry snarled. “He’s _mine_! I can have my teeth _buried_ in your neck faster than you can _blink_!”

The other Omega had gone pale at his words, clearly not expecting that violent a threat. Len hadn’t expected it either. But he just grinned widely at Barry. He was proud of his Omega, standing up for himself. And of course Len loved that Barry was just as possessive of him as he was of Barry.

Len and Barry had walked away from her without another word, arm in arm. The luggage untouched, of course. She hadn’t said anything else, either. They’d thought that was the end of it.

Until a few days later, when two Alphas showed up at their house, growling accusations that Barry and Len had been rude to their Omega sister. Apparently she had two big brothers, which maybe explained why that Omega thought she could get anything she wanted if she pouted enough.

Len had been ready to just gut both Alphas and call it a day. Maybe not kill them, but wound them in a way they’d never forget. It angered him, perhaps more than it should, that these idiot Alphas had dared show up at their house. It wasn’t like they stood a chance against him, even two on one. They were clearly young and dumb. They expected that just since they were Alphas and there were two of them that they could scare any other wolves into submission. Len wasn’t about to apologize for anything he or Barry had done.

But Barry hadn’t wanted violence, if it could be avoided. He’d been genuine in his threats against the other Omega. Barry would fight for their triad, if needed. But the point of threats was to avoid having to actually fight.

So Mick had been the one to open the door and get them to leave. A Beta, growling unafraid at two Alphas…it would be like a kick in the balls to those overconfident Alphas’ egos. He’d explained how their sister had been in the wrong, in simple language they could understand. Told them flatly no apology would be given, ever. Told they had all best stay away from them, and their house, if they wanted to keep any of their dignity. There may have been more threats involved, too. Mick was considerably better at making them, and clearly better able to back them up, than those two young Alphas had been.

Len wasn’t sure if they really agreed that their sister had stepped over a line she shouldn’t, or they just recognized how dangerous Mick was. Either way, they agreed to stay well away and keep their sister away too, and violence was avoided. Also, the beginning of Barry having something of a reputation as a wolf not to mess with, to match Len and Mick, had started.

Len couldn’t say he regretted any of it, honestly. He suspected that as much as Mick said it’d annoyed him to have to deal with it, he was just upset he’d missed getting to see Barry threaten the other Omega in person.

Barry’s confidence was growing, as they’d hoped. As much as he’d growled at that other Omega, he’d shown no sign of her at all causing his faith in Len’s devotion to him to waver. Barry trusted Len was loyal to him. As he should. Len would never consider another Omega now that he had Barry.

\----------------------------------

Regardless, Mick saying he enjoyed heat/rut week was true. The Beta found the entire thing amusing and fun, really. It was hot for him, sometimes. He did enjoy joining them occasionally.

But he really enjoyed just watching how lost to their lust for each other both of his mates were, and teasing them about it while he was mostly unaffected. He enjoyed getting to be the only one of the three likely to keep hold of rationale thought for more than an hour or two at a time. He liked how dependant Len and Barry were on him.

And yes, he liked that he didn’t have to wonder where his mates were; they were likely knotted together in bed. Like they were at the moment.

Len was lying behind Barry, spooning his Omega. He’d taken him from behind that last time. The position made it easy for Mick to casually reach down and give a little pinch to one of Barry’s swollen nipples.

Barry gasped, his hole clenched, Len’s cock throbbed and squirted, the knot showing no sign of going down any time soon. Len growled grumpily, despite the little burst of pleasure that shot through him. Mick laughed.

Mick also loved how easily he could poke at the Omega’s sensitive body while they were knotted, and get Barry’s hole to demand more come from Len’s cock. Meanwhile, Mick himself remained annoyingly not horny, just amused by how easy his mates were to play with. Len growled more.

“You’re grumpy, Len.” Mick mentioned. “I’ll fix you another snack.”

The Beta reached over and pat Len’s ass, then headed back to the kitchen. Mick wasn’t at all fazed by Len’s growling. The Beta kept grinning the whole time.

Len sighed. Mick was right, of course. He was grumpy because he was hungry. Knotting so much took a lot of energy. He didn’t actually mind Mick’s teasing, at all. If he had, the Beta would have stopped. Len was glad Mick could have fun with the week, with how much work it was for the Beta too.

“We can…try to slow down, if you want?” Barry offered, tentatively. “Do it less times tonight? It _is_ day four. Some mates only go three days.”

“Not a chance, Scarlet!” Len nipped Barry’s neck reassuringly. “Not unless you really want to. _I_ want inside your hole as many times as it’ll slick up for me. I’m ready for day five, and more. Are you?”

“Oh yes, Alpha.” Barry sighed happily. “Nothing feels as good as your knot!”

Len’s cock gave a good little squirt of come at those words, even without Barry’s hole clenching down again.

The Alpha tightened his arms around his Omega. The urge to growl was gone. Though he was still looking forward to that snack, too.


	12. Chapter 12

Leonard looked up from the blueprints he had spread over their coffee table and smiled fondly at his mates. Mick was on the floor nearby, wrench in hand, parts of an engine he was working on spread out on a sheet in front of him (to keep the carpet clean). Barry was on his laptop on the couch, working his job for Queen Consolidated. It was a few days after their three month bonding anniversary. Len was planning on especially spoiling Barry for their six month anniversary. The job Len was currently planning would help with additional funds for that.

Besides that, Len was beginning to itch for some action of the criminal kind. Not that he didn’t love their domestic life, he absolutely did. But he missed the thrill and sense of accomplishment that went with a successful heist. He also admitted to himself that he wanted to show off his skills to Barry, even if the Omega wouldn’t be accompanying them on the job. Barry would hear all about it from his mates.

With an Omega at home, waiting for their return, also came an additional responsibility for both Len and Mick to be careful. If they got caught, or hurt, Barry would suffer for it. They would both do everything they could to make sure that never happened. That was why Len was starting to plan this job so far in advance.

Barry closed his laptop and stretched. Len glanced at the clock, confirmed it was the usual time the Omega signed off from his work online. Len hadn’t realized time had passed so quickly.

Barry checked his phone, frowning slightly. Len sat up, giving his Omega mate more of his attention.

“Is something wrong?” Len asked, in slight concern.

“No, I don’t think so.” Barry answered. “But Iris texted to ask us over to dinner at her house tomorrow, with both her and Eddie. All three of us, specifically.”

Len’s eyes narrowed. It was an unusual request, certainly. Just asking for a visit at her house the very next day, and all three of them…

Iris and Barry’s friendship had been strengthened by them living in the same city again. They usually met for coffee once or twice a week. Barry had just seen her yesterday. He hadn’t mentioned anything seeming out of the ordinary.

Len and Mick had met Iris and her husband, a few weeks after their bonding month with Barry, at a nice restaurant downtown. It had been awkward at first. Iris seemed nice enough, and she accepted them easily, seeing how happy and relaxed Barry was with them.

But her husband, Eddie, was a cop. Len had trouble getting past his mistrust of all police, no matter Barry’s reassurances that Eddie was clean and honest in his work. Mick wasn’t much better. The two wolves may have glared at the man a good deal, before Eddie broke the tension.

“Look…whatever it is you do…I work homicide. If you’re not killing people, you’re below my pay grade. And frankly, with the amount of misery I see investigating murder…I honestly do not much care about any lesser crimes, they pale in comparison.” Eddie had straight up told them. “I do not want to know about it, obviously. I’d be obligated to report it, then. But as long as you’re not talking about or committing a crime right in front of me, I do not care what you do in your own time.

“What I do care about is my wife being happy. Being able to reconnect with her foster brother has made her happy. I’m not going to do anything to screw that up unless I have no other choice.”

They’d never be friends with Eddie, Len thought. He was a cop and they were criminals. They didn’t mix well, regardless of good intentions. But after that speech they began to respect him.

Both Eddie and Iris agreed with them that Barry was better off with no contact with Joe. That meant a lot, too. Len was never going to be comfortable with Barry meeting Iris alone, if there was a chance that Joe might show up.

Barry could have handled it, Len thought, if he’d had to. The Omega’s confidence was growing day by day, the more time he spent with his mates. But there was no reason to cause Barry pointless stress by interacting with his former foster father. Even Iris agreed that Joe didn’t deserve another chance with Barry. They all agreed to not even inform him that Barry had moved back to Central.

Still, Len and Mick, alternatively, had followed Barry when he met Iris ‘alone’ the first few times. They kept their distance, which wasn’t easy when Barry could smell them if they got too close. But they were good at trailing someone, even another wolf, and remaining unnoticed.

They hadn’t needed to intervene. Joe never turned up, or any other danger to their Omega. They stopped trailing Barry when he met Iris. They might have kept an extra attentive eye on their phones when their Omega was out of their sight. But there was nothing unusual to that, for wolves.

They’d never visited Iris and Eddie’s house, or them the wolves’ home. They never planned to, either. Barry and Iris made good friends. Beyond that, the rest of them were happy to keep their acquaintances casual.

But now there was this sudden invitation. Len knew there was no turning it down either, from the worried look in Barry’s eyes toward his phone. Len just hoped it didn’t turn out to be anything too bad.

\----------------------------------------------

The wolf triad arrived at Iris and Eddie’s house promptly on time. Len may have ordered Barry to start getting ready an hour early, and Mick may have had to carry the Omega out over his shoulder, to make Barry ready on time. Len was beginning to suspect Barry was purposely always late, to get extra attention from his mates. It made no sense how he always managed to be late, otherwise.

Their effort proved to be a bit wasted, however. When they got there Eddie was the late one. Iris assured them her husband had called and was on his way. But she didn’t want to explain the reason for the sudden invitation until Eddie got home. So they sat, accepted the drinks she offered, and made small talk, in the mean time.

Barry was nervous. It was obvious to all of them, probably including Iris. Iris seemed nervous herself, but also excited. Len and Mick sat on opposite sides of Barry, the three of them together on the couch, trying to provide as much support and comfort to the Omega as possible.

They’d discussed the possibility of this invitation being a misguided attempt to again get Joe to reconcile with Barry. Barry had said he was certain it wasn’t that; that Iris understood and would never force the issue. Len wanted to believe that. But he couldn’t afford to trust it.

Even if Iris hadn’t purposely invited her father to her house on the same night as she’d invited Barry’s triad, just being there at her home made the chances of the encounter more likely. The wolves all knew it. Iris had to realize it, too.

Eddie and Joe were police partners. It only made sense that Joe might stop by their house with Eddie after work. Barry had assured his mates that that rarely happened, according to Iris. Iris and her father were friendly, but not that close. He’d mostly gotten over his disapproval of her marrying a policeman. But that initial lack of support, plus everything he’d done to Barry, was something Iris would never completely forget.

But despite Barry saying he was certain that Joe wouldn’t be there, the Omega was clearly still worried about it. Len and Mick were there, to support their Omega however they could. If that meant meeting Joe and forcing themselves not to physically lash out at the man, then so be it. They would do their best. But there was only so much they could take. They could only hope Joe didn’t cross that line, if he turned up.

Of course, he did turn up.

To Iris and Eddie’s credit, they hadn’t invited the man there. In fact, they’d purposely chosen that night because Joe supposedly had a date with a certain DA and wouldn’t be free to stop by. But he’d cancelled that, far too easily, when their case work went late that day. Iris explained that to the wolves later, with genuine apologies.

Eddie had tried to stop Joe from coming inside. He’d told him that he and Iris had plans. But Joe had taken one look at the unfamiliar car in front of the house and barged in right after Eddie. To Len and Mick’s credit, the car they’d brought wasn’t even stolen.

Joe stomped into the living room, saw the three wolves, and just stopped and stared.

“Dad.” Iris started, standing up. “We have company. We’ll do dinner with you on Thursday, as usual. But right now, you should leave.”

Barry made to stand up, but Len put a hand on the back of his neck to keep him seated. As much as it irked the wolves to be in a lower, less dominate position, while Joe stood; it was safer. Safer to appear submissive and nonthreatening. Less likely the encounter escalate to violence, that way. But they could be up in seconds, if needed.

Joe just stared at them. Not saying hello, not even greeting Barry. He ignored Iris’ words completely, not even looking at his daughter. He then turned and rounded on Eddie.

“You knew they were coming over.” Joe accused; his voice tight and angry. “You left my daughter alone with three wolves?! Two of which, I _know_ , you recognize from mug shots!!”

“Dad!” Iris gasped. “This is _Barry_ and his mates! Not some strangers! And even if it wasn’t, who I invite into my own home is _my_ business!”

Joe still stared down Eddie, not turning toward his daughter.

“They don’t have a record, Joe.” Eddie responded; his hands up in a placating gesture. “I checked. We met them before, and they were perfectly polite and…”

“So they conned you, same as they conned Barry.” Joe scoffed. “It doesn’t matter if they don’t have a record. If they struck some deal with an idiot judge to get pardoned, or whatever happened. We both _know_ who they are!

“I have a half mind to arrest them both right now! I’m sure there’s some evidence somewhere we can hold them with. Maybe even get a conviction if I ask the right people to get involved…”

Iris’ mouth was hanging open in shock. Barry whimpered. Mick growled. Len tightened his hold on Barry and shot Mick a look. Len was growling, too. But they needed to wait, let this play out. As tempting as knocking Joe down a few pegs was, it would just give the cop more reasons to try and arrest them. Not that he would have succeeded. But they were trying to get through this without violence, for Barry.

Eddie looked at Joe with a disgusted expression, shook his head, took out his phone and started tapping away.

“What are you doing?!” Joe snapped.

“I just sent a text to Captain Singh telling him my partner is threatening to plant evidence against people he has a personal vendetta against. I’ll file a full report in the morning. You, or anyone that’s known to be sympathetic to you, will never get anywhere near a case involving these two. Ever.” Eddie frowned deeply. “I expected better from you, Joe. I really did. I thought you were a good cop. But that threat was abuse of power and pure dirt.”

Len raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting Eddie to do much in their defense. In his experience, cops backed up their partners, no matter how wrong they knew they were. Len’s respect for Eddie grew.

“Eddie…I…I wasn’t _serious_! Come on! You know I’d never do anything like that!” Joe protested. “I just want these two away from my daughter and son!”

“Maybe you should actually talk to _me_ about it then, instead of ignoring me!” Iris snapped.

“I’m _not_ your son.” Barry growled at the same moment. “Who I’m with is _not any_ of your business!”

“Barry!” Joe finally turned addressed him. “I know we’ve had our disagreements, but all I’ve ever tried to do is protect you!”

“I know that, Joe.” Barry responded in a cold voice, still sitting between his mates. “You tried to protect me. I let that reason excuse what you did for far too long. But it’s _no_ excuse. And I’m _done_ taking it. I’m done being nice to you because of intentions, or the past. You try to lock up my mates, you better be prepared to lock me up, too. Because I will _rip_ apart _anyone_ that tries to take them from me! They are more my family than you _ever_ were!

“Oh, but you already _did_ lock me up.” Barry’s tone turned mocking. “So I guess you won’t have a problem with that.”

“Don’t you take that tone with me!” Joe snapped. “Everything I did, I did for you! To keep you safe! You have no idea the danger you were in!”

“Danger from _what_? Other wolves?” Barry shook his head. “That doesn’t work on me anymore. I’ve met other wolves, now. None of them have ever…”

“No, not just any other wolves!” Joe cut him off. “Eobard Thawne! He killed your parents! He wanted to take you for his own, raise you his way!”

“What?!” Barry whispered, clearly shocked. “You told me…you told me you had no idea what that man wanted, or why he killed my parents! _You told me you didn’t even know who he was_!! I had to find out his name from the police records!”

Barry was shaking. Len kept his hand on the back of his Omega’s neck. Mick had his hand on Barry’s shoulder. All the wolves remained seated. It was great act of willpower for the triad. If the three of them hadn’t all been there together, touching each other, they likely wouldn’t have managed it.

Len felt his own temper flare. If he had any less self control, his teeth would have already been in Joe West’s neck. He knew Mick felt the same. He knew Barry was close to jumping at the man and demanding answers with his fists and claws. But they all remained seated, together.

“I lied.” Joe admitted without an ounce of regret. “I always knew who it was. Harrison, your Omega Dad, came into the station a few days before the murder. He wanted a restraining order put on Thawne. He said the Alpha had gotten obsessed with him, wanted him for his own, to take him away from your Alpha Dad and Beta Mom.

“Wells got laughed at by the men on duty at the station. They wouldn’t even file a report or make a record of the claim. So none exist. I tried to speak up for him, since I knew Henry, but they wouldn’t listen. But I didn’t try that hard. I admit that. And truthfully…I thought he was overreacting, too. Omega wolves always overreact. They’re too sensitive.”

The room was dead silent. Everyone was tense. Barry was biting down on his own tongue to keep from crying and doing what he thought would prove Joe’s words as true. Len and Mick were desperately holding themselves back. They had to let Joe finish the story, now that he’d finally started. Or they might never hear the truth.

“But that time, Harrison was right. Thawne was after him, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He broke into your home, fought your parents. Henry ordered you to run, and you did.

“What I never told you, was that I got to the scene while Thawne was still there, while the fight was still going on. I got to hear exactly what Thawne had planned for Harrison, and you, if he got his way. He planned to kill Nora and Henry. But he wanted you both for himself. Harrison as his Omega, and you as their son.

“I tried to shoot him, but couldn’t get a clear shot.” Joe continued. “I couldn’t do anything but yell at him to stop, and watch the entire thing. He killed Henry and Nora. And then killed Harrison too, when he refused to submit to him. I shot at him, but he ran, and I stayed to try and save your parents instead of following. For all the good that did.

“If I…if I made any mistake, it was not putting any of that in my report. But I was in shock, it was the first murder I’d witnessed. I was still relatively new on the job. And I knew everyone that’d ignored Harrison’s request for help would be in trouble, maybe lose their jobs, if word of it got back to our Captain. So I stated I’d gotten to the house after Thawne had fled. Traffic light cameras identified him, so he was a suspect either way. I regretted it later, but it was too late to revise the report. And it wouldn’t have done any good, anyway. Thawne was long gone. No one could find any trace of him.

“So I…I had to keep you safe the way I did! Don’t you see, Barry! There was always the chance he was coming back for you!”

Barry was shaking harder, staring forward but not really looking at anything. Len squeezed his neck, Mick rubbed his shoulder. The omissions in the report were why Barry had had no clue about this, despite Felicity hacking into the police network to identify the killer for Barry, years ago.

Privately, Len knew Thawne would never likely have gone back for Barry. An Alpha that twisted, that’d gotten obsessed with an Omega and their child, would likely abandon the child if the Omega died. Which was why he’d never tried for Barry since that night. Len could give Joe a pass for not knowing that. Or even if he did, for wanting to keep Barry safe just in case. But it was still no excuse for the way Joe had treated Barry.

Len waited, and hoped Barry could see that too, through his shock and grief.

“That’s still no excuse, Dad.” Iris was the one that spoke up. “That’s still no excuse for what you did to Barry. I was there, I remember. I remember the days he paced in his room for hours, because he felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin if he didn’t go out to run as a wolf. I remember the nights he spent throwing up, not able to even keep water down, because of all the silver you had around the house. I remember the times he cried himself to sleep because he felt so lonely with no other wolves around.

“I know you think you were keeping him safe by not telling him. But if you had, he would have understood. We could have found good, trustworthy wolves he could have run with. Ones that would have been happy to help protect him.” Iris shook her head sadly. “If you could have just stepped back a little, just trusted Barry with the truth, just chosen a few wolves to trust…but you couldn’t. Instead you hurt Barry and gave him no choice but to run away. Now, you’re making the same mistakes, judging Barry and his choices, condemning his mates without even giving them a chance.

“ _You’re_ the one in the wrong here, Dad! Can’t you see that now?!” Iris pleaded. “You might have had the best intentions. But intentions are no excuse! You did more harm than good! It’s time to stop and _listen_!”

Hearing that, from his foster sister, Joe’s own daughter, did Barry a lot of good. Len was glad she had spoken up. Len could have said the same, but it wouldn’t have meant as much in this situation. That Iris understood, a human, who had been there, meant a great deal.

“No, Iris!” Joe finally turned toward his daughter. “I did what I had to do! Even if it kept Thawne away, Barry would have been no better off with other wolves! There are some good wolves, sure. But it’s against their instincts to be decent people! They can’t help it! They naturally take advantage of Omegas, if they aren’t perfectly submissive and perfect looking!

“My first day on the force…”

“We know this story. You’ve told us a million times!” Iris tried to cut him off.

“Well it clearly hasn’t sunk in!” Joe snapped. “My first day on the force, a kidnapped Omega was found. I’d learned werewolves existed at the Police Academy, but she was the first one I actually met. She’d been brutalized. Gang raped for weeks by a pack of ten Alphas! I’ll never forget how…”

“You’re _lying_.” Barry cut him off with a deep growl. “You’re either lying or you’re being willfully blind to the truth.”

That got Joe to stop. He turned and gaped at Barry.

“I’d heard that story _so_ many times growing up.” Barry continued; his expression dark. “Every time I pressed for wolf friends, you told it again. Just how traumatized the woman was. How horribly she’d been beaten. How many times the Alphas forced themselves on an unwilling Omega. Careful to never bond with her, just use her. In all the details you painted for a teenager feeling lost and lonely. Enough to scare me away from wolves for years. You probably hoped it would have been for life.

“I told my Omega therapist that story. It sounded odd to her, so I asked a friend to look into it.

“Turns out, in the official report, that Omega told the police that she’d been trapped and raped by _humans_. Not wolves. She would know. She was the victim. But no one believed her. Every cop to work the case insisted she was mistaken because she was traumatized. I guess it was easier to believe humans weren’t capable of that kind of brutality, only wolves. But the victim spoke her truth, and she should have been listened to.”

“You weren’t there, Barry! You didn’t see what they did to her!” Joe protested.

“You weren’t there either! You only saw her after!” Barry raised his voice for the first time. “ _She_ was! _She_ knew what happened! But you didn’t listen to her!

“That’s what you do that’s so wrong, Joe.” Barry choked up, but forced himself to continue. “You think you know what’s best for everyone. You’re so sure, that you don’t _listen_ to _them_.

“Well I’ve found people that listen to me now, both wolves and humans. People that respect that _I_ know what’s best for _me_. So I’m done listening to you, Joe. You might as well stop talking to me entirely. Because I’m done listening.”

Len was proud of his Barry. The Omega hadn’t gotten up, hadn’t moved toward Joe, but he’d said what he’d needed to. He hadn’t wavering in his conviction. He hadn’t backed down. He’d trusted himself and what he knew as true.

As satisfying as it would have been for Len and Mick to take down Joe; to physically claw the message home, this was much healthier for Barry. This bit of closure; to express clearly to the man what he’d done wrong and why it was so damaging, that would help Barry heal.

Not that inflicting at least a little physical pain on the man wasn’t still tempting. It very much was. But that would just prove Joe right; that wolves couldn’t control themselves.

Barry had told Len and Mick about that case before. So it wasn’t a surprise to them. Barry’s therapist had wisely wondered about it, as it was very unusual behavior for Alphas. Alphas got obsessed with Omegas, it was true. Some terrible Alphas even took it as far as kidnapping and rape. But Alphas didn’t share an Omega like that. Alphas didn’t work in groups like that. It was against their very nature.

So Felicity had gotten the original report and found the truth. She’d dug further, and shared the information with a certain Alpha. All the humans that’d hurt that Omega had died shortly thereafter, shot with arrows. Sometimes, wolves made their own justice when the human system failed.

Iris was gaping in shock at her father. Apparently Barry hadn’t shared what he’d found with her before. Which only made sense; it wasn’t an easy topic to talk about.

“Barry doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Joe told her, turning away from Barry.

“I think he does, Dad…Joe.” Iris shook her head, deciding to change how she addressed the man. “And that you won’t even stop to consider you might be the one that’s wrong…thanks. You’ve made my decision easy.”

Iris looked at Eddie; the married couple communicated something with that gaze. Len was only half paying attention to them. He was more concerned about his Omega being alright, calming down, now that Barry had said what he wanted to. Barry was looking down as his own clenched hands, breathing a bit heavily. Mick moved to put both his hands on Barry’s shoulders and massage them. Len took Barry’s hands into his.

“I’m pregnant.” Iris announced, everyone in the room’s attention snapping back to her. “Eddie and I are having a baby…and according to the doctors there’s a 90% chance it’s a wolf.”

Again, everyone in the room seemed frozen in disbelief at what’d just been said. Iris waited a few beats, then pressed on.

 “I’m not saying this to hurt you, Joe.” Iris continued. “But even if our baby ends up being human…you are not spending any time with them without either me or Eddie in the same room. You are not babysitting. You are not picking them up from school. I’m going to see to it that legally you will never be able to be responsible for this child, even if something happens to me and Eddie. I will not have my baby grow up irrationally afraid of wolves.”

“There’s….that’s…Eddie has distant wolf relatives, I knew that.” Joe stammered. “But he’s human, you’re human, his parents are human….the chances of the baby being a wolf….I looked it up, it’s like one in a million!”

“Guess we’re just lucky.” Eddie smiled tightly. “I mean that. We were worried something was wrong with the baby, at first. Our doctor didn’t know about wolves. But we caught on and found another. They assured us the baby is perfectly healthy, just developing as is common for wolf babies. Before you even think to ask, we got a dna test done too. I am definitely the father. Not that we doubted it. But it’s a common precaution when two humans are having a wolf.”

“If you want to be a part of your grandchild’s life at all,” Iris continued, “You need to take a good look at yourself and make some hard realizations. You need to admit you did wrong by Barry, and actually understand _why_. I couldn’t shield Barry from your so-called protection. But you can damn well believe I am going to do what’s best for my child!”

Joe was stepping back, shaking his head. He was clearly in shock.

“You’ll understand once you’re a mother. You’ll understand everything I did was for the best.”

Len growled under his breath. The man was _still_ denying what he’d done! It was unbelievable.

“I want you to leave my house now and not come back until you’re invited.” Iris stated flatly. “Our weekly dinner is canceled. If you go after Barry or his mates, in any way, I will make sure you never lay eyes on your grandchild. If you want to admit what you did wrong and apologize, you’re welcome to call me. Otherwise, good-bye, Joe.”

Joe left without further protest, thankfully. He was still shaking his head, tense and in denial. But at least he left without a fight, after that. Len hoped Iris’ threats had been enough. He hoped Joe grew a brain, just so Iris’ baby could have a grandfather. But he wasn’t holding his breath for it.

Once the door was locked behind Joe, Barry broke out into tears. Iris paced for a few moments, her anger clearly needing the outlet, then she suddenly stopped and gave into tears too. They both needed the release crying would provide. Eddie held Iris, while both Len and Mick held their Barry.

Len took a moment and tried to let it all sink in for him, while he squeezed Barry’s hands in reassurance. They’d known Eddie had distant wolf relatives. His last name was the same as the Alpha that’d killed Barry’s parents. So of course Felicity had checked as soon as Iris had told Barry her fiancé’s name. She’d found that Eobard and Eddie had never met. Eobard had been the only living relative of Eddie’s that was a wolf.

Len had double checked, once Barry had told him. No one knew much about Eobard. But Len had easily contacted locals that knew Eddie. They confirmed the policeman had never met or had any known contact from the Alpha, or any wolves outside an occasional police case, for that matter.

So Len’s triad had known that Eddie was related to wolves. But it was so distant that it hadn’t seemed to matter. It hadn’t crossed Len’s mind that Iris and Eddie might have a werewolf pup instead of a human baby. Joe had been right about one thing; the odds were astronomically against it. But clearly, it wasn’t impossible.

Thankfully, Iris and Eddie seemed to be taking the news relatively well. The prospect of raising a wolf pup, when both parents were human, was a daunting one. At least Iris had Joe as an example of what _not_ to do.

After a bit, Iris moved to hug Barry. Len found his Alpha instincts didn’t protest this at all, and he shifted slightly to allow it. He moved his hand back to Barry’s neck. Mick rubbed Barry’s back, while Eddie did the same for Iris.

“He might…he might come around yet.” Barry offered, hesitantly, for Iris. “Give him time and maybe he’ll…It’s too late for me and him. I’ll never be comfortable with him, not really. But maybe for your baby, he’ll be better.”

“Maybe.” Iris agreed. “But we’re sticking to the rules I laid out. I’m not risking my baby going through anything like what he did to you.”

Eddie nodded in agreement.

“Congratulations, Iris, Eddie.” Mick offered, gently, the first to think to do so.

Len and Barry quickly echoed the sentiment.

“Thank you!” The expectant parents both answered, Iris through tears.

Iris pulled back and went to sit down on the other couch, Eddie following her. After a few moments she spoke again.

“Well, that…that…was not how I’d hoped this announcement would go.” She stopped and shook her head. “But even if Joe never comes around, we are going to give this baby a great life. The baby already has three wonderful wolf uncles to teach them everything they need to know about wolves.”

She smiled and looked at them. Len’s heart stopped for a second at the implication. He should have realized it sooner, probably. But so much had just happened. And Len was so used to not being trusted by anyone but his mates, to being feared. For a human woman to look at him to take care of their baby, whether it was a wolf or not….Len’s mind was a bit blown. He didn’t know what to say or do.

“Lenny’s got the most experience with that.” Mick offered. “He practically raised his little sister himself. He’ll be good at it.”

Len shot a slightly annoyed look at his Beta. Mick was taking this better than Len. But Mick was right, of course. Len loved kids. Given the chance, he’d adore this kid and do everything he could to keep them happy and safe. He knew that already.

Barry was grinning at Len proudly. Len allowed himself to feel some pride, too. He _would_ be a good uncle. So would both of his mates, with some instruction. But that Iris could believe that, too…that was still a shock.

She did believe it, though. Iris and Eddie had both agree to tell Barry’s triad about the baby before they told anyone else, once they found out there was a good chance it would be a wolf pup. They confirmed that as they talked more, slowly moving toward reheating and eating the dinner that’d gone cold. They’d hoped the wolves would agree to help them with the baby. And serve as a good example of a happy healthy wolf triad as the child grew up.

Not just Iris, but Eddie too, approved of Len and his mates helping to take care of this baby. Eddie, a cop that knew they were criminals, felt safe letting them look after his child. Len was…Len was still in shock.

Len was…Leonard was _honored_ , he realized. Honored, thankful, happy, and excited. With just a little prodding from Barry, Len managed to express at least a few of those emotions to Iris and Eddie in words. Mick may have mumbled some along the same lines, too.

When they left to head home later, everyone was smiling; the wolf triad and the human expectant parents, all. The night hadn’t been easy, especially for Barry and Iris. But the future looked bright, for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to temper expectations, there is just one chapter left. It doesn’t include a baby. (Nothing bad happens with Iris’ pregnancy, the fic is just going to end before she gives birth.) It does include a happy ending with some sexy-times :)


	13. Chapter 13

It was the first snowfall of the season. Just a dusting coating the grass and trees, but Len loved it. He bounded through the forest in wolf form, savoring the chill against his paws, the cool air on his tongue, the way he could see his breath in the air. All of it.

Len caught a glimpse of scarlet fur in the near distance, flashing quickly between two trees. He ran faster after his play prey, howling happily, reveling in the chase game.

Barry answered, returning the happy howl with an equally delighted one of his own. Further back, Mick’s howl echoed in similar joy. The three mated wolves’ voices were a perfect harmony, as always. Theirs scents mingled amazingly together in the crisp air.

So much had happened in their lives since the last time it’d snowed in Central City. Back then, Len wouldn’t have been able to believe half of it was possible. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without it.

Len and Mick had gotten to bond with an Omega they loved, and who loved them back. They were close friends with a wolf triad out of Star City. They were going to be uncles to a wolf pup, once Iris gave birth in a few months. They ran heists, when they wanted. They relaxed when they wanted. A full complete wolf triad, finally.

Life was good. Len felt fulfilled. More than he’d dared to hope he ever would.

\-------------------------------------

The wolf triad made their way back to their car at an easy trot. All three’s tongues were hanging out, panting. The chase game had been great, as usual.

When they got close, Len transformed, got their bag, and started getting dressed. He looked back at his mates, both still in wolf form, and couldn’t help snorting out a laugh. Mick was half covered in mud. Barry’s fur was full of leaves and a few thorns. Len was the only one that’d got through the run unscathed.

“Just stay as wolves until we get home.” Len offered them. “Unless you really want to change now.”

They all knew the mud and forest debris would transfer unpleasantly to their human forms if they changed like that. Human skin was a lot more sensitive to the elements than wolf fur. Then they’d just have to pull their clothes on over the dirt, getting more uncomfortable. It would be easier for them if they just waited.

Len opened the back of their SUV, put their bag inside, and Barry and Mick leaped in after it. The jump was easy for wolves. Len closed the door after them, and then got settled in the driver’s seat.

When they got home, Len pulled into their garage, thankful for the privacy it offered. Clueless human neighbors wondering about ‘dogs’ that were sometimes around and sometimes not, was not fun to deal with. Once the garage door was closed, Len pulled open the car’s back door for his mates, then went inside.

Len toed off his boots, plopped down on the couch, and put his feet up on the coffee table. He turned the TV on, but didn’t plan to actually pay much attention to it.

As expected, within minutes Len had a lapful of furry Omega on top of him on the couch. Barry had his brush in his mouth and started poking Len’s hand with it.

“You expect me to do something with that?” Len asked, teasing.

Barry whined and poked Len’s hand with his brush more. Len smirked a moment before relenting.

“Fine, fine, if you insist.”

Len took the brush from Barry and got to work taking care of his Omega. Truthfully, Len enjoyed this and they both knew it. He took his time, gently working out the tangles, leaves, and other forest debris from his mate’s coat. He ran his hands through the reddish fur as he brushed it, just enjoying how the scarlet strands felt under his fingers.

For not the first time, and far from the last, Len silently wondered to himself how he got so lucky…how this was _his_. _Barry_ was his. Len got to have this. Len got to _keep_ this. All these moments with Barry that he treasured.

Once he was satisfied with the grooming, Barry hopped off Len’s lap and headed toward the shower. Len growled softly to himself about the Omega doing whatever he wanted, never mind if his Alpha was done petting him or not. Not actually angry at all, of course. Len was endlessly proud of how much confidence Barry had gained since they bonded.

Len got up and followed his mate. He didn’t hurry, but the bathroom wasn’t far away. He got there in time to watch Barry, still in wolf form, enter the shower where Mick, in human form, already was. Len appreciated, not for the first time, their extra large shower with the clear glass doors. Their Beta looked mostly done cleaning himself; none of the mud remained, and was just standing under the spray enjoying the hot water.

Mick heard Barry come in, doubtlessly; wolf hearing was good. He’d left the shower door partly open, just so Barry could join him before transforming. But he didn’t bother turning toward his Omega mate. Barry transformed, there in the shower behind Mick. The Omega stood up, in his human form, and put his arms around his Beta mate. Watching them; his two mates naked with water cascading down their bodies, sent a pleasant shiver toward Len’s cock.

“Using up all the hot water again?” Barry teased Mick gently.

“You know we don’t need water to get you hot.” Mick responded, as Barry had been goading him to.

Mick turned around, smiling hungrily at their Omega. The two mates were kissing and running hands along their wet bodies a moment later. Len took off his clothes quickly, letting them fall to the floor, and stepped in the shower after his mates.

“Running away before I was done with you…rude, Barry.”

Len enunciated the words with a few light slaps against his palm with the back of the hairbrush he was holding. Barry shivered, despite the water still being fairly warm, and looked back with a heated gaze towards his Alpha. Len smirked.

“What’re you going to do about it, Alpha?” Barry taunted, asking for it.

“Oh, I’m going to spank your beautiful butt until it’s as red as your nickname, Omega.” Len answered, adding, “While Mick holds you there, where we want you.”

Mick took his cue and gripped Barry’s shoulders, keeping their Omega in place. Not that Barry wanted to move. If he struggled at all, Mick would let him go.

This was another game of theirs, which all three of them enjoyed. If Barry told them to stop, or pause, they would without hesitation. Barry knew that. They’d talked about it before. As well as what they all liked the game to entail.

Barry liked being spanked. It was no secret between the triad. The Omega knew exactly what he was doing, bringing Len that brush and then leaving Len with it so abruptly. So Len gave Barry what he wanted, of course, happily. His cute little butt was ideal for it, after all.

Len brought the back of the brush down on Barry’s ass, sharply striking a round cheek. He didn’t use anywhere near his full strength, but enough that it would sting like Barry liked. The Omega gasped and bucked into Mick.

Len kept at it, giving his Barry what he wanted, alternating cheeks and slapping the brush down on that pert ass. He paused between every strike, as he always did, just long enough for Barry to tell him to stop if he needed to.

It was hot for Len, of course it was. He had a wet Omega that he adored, panting and whimpering for him. That blood rushing to Barry’s ass thanks to the spanks; his hole doubtlessly slicking up in response. Len’s cock was throbbing and hard from the thought. But he didn’t let himself give in to his own arousal until he was sure he was taking care of Barry properly.

Once the tender cheeks had turned from their natural pale shade to a light scarlet, Len judged that was enough and stopped. He couldn’t help licking his lips at the sight.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Barry.” Len whispered directly into his mate’s ear. “So beautiful, so playful, so good, our Omega.”

Barry whimpered at the praise. It might not have strictly fit into their game. Barry might not need the reassurance as much as he once did. But he deserved it. So Len gave it to him.

Len set the brush down on a shower shelf, freeing up both his hands for other uses. He gripped Barry’s ass with them, lightly digging his long fingers into the flushed cheeks, and gave them a few squeezes. The Omega outright moaned. Barry tilted his head back toward Len, exposing his neck for nips and kisses.

Mick had let go of Barry’s shoulders and gave the Omega some kisses of his own. Before long, Mick stepped back a bit, letting Len see just how hard and needy Barry’s cock was. Ever efficient, the Beta crouched down and got his hands on the length. His mouth soon followed.

Len let go of Barry’s ass, wrapping his arms securely around the now whimpering and shivering Omega. It was slippery, the shower still running and pelting them with increasingly cool water. Len wasn’t about to let Barry slip and fall, while the Omega lost himself to Mick’s skilled mouth.

Barry leaned back into his Alpha, Len’s cock connecting with tantalizingly hot skin. But Len would wait. Knotting in the shower was a bad, bad idea. Tempting, of course, but Len wasn’t about to give in. Even if it didn’t end in injury from slipping, it wasn’t a good idea. Mick would never stop laughing about it, if his mates got tied together in the shower and he had to help them make it safely to the bed.

So Len held Barry, keeping his Omega securely upright, while Mick worked his mouth on Barry’s cock. Len peppered kisses and bites on Barry’s neck while the Omega gasped and whimpered. Len didn’t watch closely as Mick sucked off their Omega, but he knew how it felt to have that mouth on his length. He knew how good Mick was at sucking, how much the Beta enjoyed it; enjoyed being able to make his mates squirm and beg for that mouth.

Barry understandably didn’t last long. The Omega let out a long moan and his entire body shuddered as he released into their Beta’s mouth. Len tightened his hold on Barry so he didn’t slip. Mick swallowed everything Barry gave him, then let the Omega’s cock loose with a pop. The Beta looked up at his mates, grinning for a moment, then carefully stood up. Barry panted in Len’s hold.

Mick turned the water off, slid the shower door open, and stepped out. The Beta’s cock was clearly hard and eager for attention. But he knew it was time they moved this to the bedroom. Mick offered a hand to Barry and helped the Omega out of the shower. Barry’s legs shook a bit as Len let him go. But he got safely out of the shower.

Len looked unabashedly at Barry’s red ass as the Omega moved. With all the water from the shower, Len couldn’t tell if there was slick dripping down Barry’s legs. But he was willing to bet there was. Len’s cock throbbed insistently at the thought.

Len stepped out of the shower and followed his mates, grabbing some towels on the way. He would get his cock in his Omega that night, but there was no rush. He could be patient. The triad would towel each other off, get into bed, and continue. They’d get Barry ready for another orgasm; it would take some time, but not that much. Not with their eager, perfect Omega.

Len would put some lotion on Barry’s sore ass. He tried to remember where the bottle was. Not that the Omega strictly needed it. Len hadn’t bruised his cheeks that badly, especially with werewolf healing. But they’d both enjoy Len massaging the lotion in, regardless.

Len and Mick would get their own orgasms in time, too. But there was no hurry. They had all night. Nowhere to go in the morning. Plenty of time for Barry to return the favor and take Mick into his mouth. Plenty of time for Len to knot that Omega ass that he loved. Plenty of time to make sure Barry got more than one orgasm that night. Plenty of time to sleep, afterward, the three of them all wrapped around each other in bed.

Len did like making plans. This was a fine, if simple one, he thought. He smirked to himself as he joined his mates in the bedroom.

It had taken a long time for Len and Mick to get their Omega. But now that they had him, they savored him. They spoiled him. They treasured him. And he did the same for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic has come to the end. It feels like a nice conclusion, to me. Even though I know there’s more I could expand on. There’s always a chance I’ll do a sequel at some point, but I don’t have any plans for one atm. 
> 
> What I _do_ have plans for atm, is an offshoot of this fic. A sort of au of my au, lol. The idea is a different first meeting for them. _‘What if Barry hadn’t gone to Star City with Felicity…so he met Len and Mick much earlier, while he was living on the street’._ It is planned to be shorter than this fic and not repeat the details we’ve already learned here. Though we all know what Len said on the show about plans…so we’ll see. But I hope you’ll look forward to it!
> 
>   **I really want to thank everyone for the support, comments, and kudos! I was blown away by the love this fic has gotten and it really means a lot!**
> 
>  Please feel free to come chat with me on tumblr [@slimysuckers](http://slimysuckers.tumblr.com/) I’d love more fandom friends to talk to!


End file.
